From Kindness to Killer -Revamped-
by JigokuTenshi834
Summary: They betrayed her because they didn't understand, so when Mikan gets an offer to train somewhere off campus, she takes it. Now that she's returned four years later, everyone can see she's changed. Kind and innocent Mikan no longer exists. Now she's cold and mean, and she's not afraid to kill.
1. Prologue

**So I've finally decided to re-write **_**From Kindness to Killer. **_**Hopefully this time around it'll be better than last time. I'm not sure how often I'll update but it will probably either be weekly or every second week.**

"Talking"**  
**_'Thinking'_

* * *

**From Kindness to Killer:  
Prologue**_  
'It was supposed to be a secret. Why couldn't they understand that?'  
_-oOo-

* * *

**Mikan POV**  
I walked into the class with a grin on my face and greeted everyone. "Good morning everyone!" When I didn't receive the usual replied I became worried. "What's wrong?"

"Mikan-chan, why didn't you tell us?" Anna asked with a sad look on her face.

"Tell you what?" I asked confused.

"Don't play dumb, Mikan!" Sumeri yelled at me, fixing me with a hard glare.

"What are you talking about?!"

"I never would have picked you as the owner of such a strong alice, Sakura," Koko commented.

"Eh…?" '_Alice…?' _Mikan thought, thoroughly confused. _'They can't mean _that _alice can they…?' _My face morphed from a look of utter confusion to a look of understanding. "You don't understand! I had to keep it a secret!" I told them, hoping they would understand but they refused to listen.

"We understand fine Mikan; you don't trust us," Nonoko stated and my eyes began to water. What were they saying?

"Of course I trust you! It's just-" I tried explaining but Ruka cut me off.

"It's okay, Sakura-san. You don't have to act like we're friends anymore." The tears started falling as I looked around the room. Everyone- Even Hotaru and Natsume- were giving me a look of disappointment or anger, and I couldn't take it; I haven't even done anything wrong! I turned and ran out of the room, just in time to hear my name be called over the speaker system.

"Mikan Sakura to the High School principal's office."Hearing the announcement I started towards my uncle's office, wondering what he might want. When I reached the large oak door I had stood in front of several times before, I dried my tears on my sleeve before knocking.

"Come in," a muffled voice ordered and I stepped into the office and saw my uncle sitting at his desk, Shiki standing beside him.

"Hi Oji-chan, Shiki," I greeted as I entered the office and took a seat in front of the desk. "What did you call me here for?"

"Mikan-chan, we called you here because we have an offer for you," my uncle started.

"An offer? What for?" I asked curiously.

"Now that we know about you Steal Erase Copy alice, we can't just leave it alone. It's too dangerous to have without training. Unfortunately, we don't have the knowledge or the facilities to train such an alice here," Shiki explained.

"What do you mean?"

"Mikan how would you feel about leaving the academy and going to train at an alice training centre in America?" Kazumi asked .

"Leave…?" I was shocked. They wanted me to leave the academy?

"The decision is totally up to you Mikan, but I think it would be in your best interests to go. The longer you leave your alice untrained, the higher the risk of you losing control is. Eventually you may end up using your alice accidentally and stealing somebodies alice," Kazumi told me and I nodded slowly, absorbing the information. I didn't really want to leave the academy, but I didn't want to risk stealing an alice from someone and force _them _to have to leave instead.

"How long would I be gone?" I asked them, considering their offer.

"It depends on how fast you learnt to control your alice, but you would most likely be there for about 4 years," Shiki replied.

"4 years…" I mumbled. It was a long time that I would be gone if I decided to go. What about my friends, wouldn't they miss me? Oh wait, they'd just told me that they didn't want to be my friend anymore. A wave of sadness come over me at that thought but I forced it back down.

"I…" I started, finally coming to a decision. "I'll go." There was nothing really holding me here at the academy aside from Narumi-sensei, Shiki and Kazumi-Oji-chan, and those 3 would be easy to keep in contact with via phone or mail.

"Are you sure? I can give you some more time before you have to decide if you'd like." Kazumi asked.

"It's fine, I want to go." I told them and partly told myself, too. Wouldn't want to start second guessing myself now.

"Well if that's your final decision then so be it. You'll leave at 4 tomorrow morning." _'Waa!' _I thought, tears running down my face. _'So early!' _Sighing, I nodded.

"Fine," I confirmed. After we went over a few more details, I went back to my room since they had given me the rest of the day off so I could prepare for tomorrow. I decided that I wouldn't say goodbye to my not-so-friendly friends. They probably wouldn't care when they found out I was gone. By the time I'd finished it was around 6:30; dinner time. I didn't want to have to go down to the dining room and risk seeing them, so I grabbed a cup of ramen from the cupboard that I'd stashed there for emergencies. It was 8:30 by the time I had finished eating, had a shower and brushed my teeth, so I went to bed so I wouldn't be too tired when I got up at that ungodly hour of the day tomorrow.

'_Beep Beep Beep!' _I hit the off button on my alarm clock before rubbing the sleep out of my eyes and sitting up. Looks like going to bed early helped yesterday because I didn't feel as tired as thought I would. _'Not that a few more hours of sleep wouldn't have been nice' _I thought as I went to get dressed. After getting dressed I grabbed my bags and headed outside and towards the car that would take me to the training centre. When I reached the car, I saw my three favourite people in the academy standing at the gate.

"Bye, Mikan-chan, I'll miss you," Shiki said as he bent down to hug me. Although he could be serious sometimes, Shiki was fun and he cared for me. Even though we weren't related, he was still like my uncle.

"I'll miss you too, Shiki," I replied as I hugged him back. When we let go I moved to my uncle.

"Have fun, Mikan. I'll be waiting for you until you get back." He told me and I gave him a hug. I'd miss him; he was my uncle after all.

"I will… Hopefully," I giggled and he chuckled. "I'll miss you, Oji-chan." Finally I moved onto the last person; Narumi-sensei. At the moment he was a ball of snot and tears, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Why are you laughing!" He cried. "This is a serious matter!"

"S-Sorry, Narumi-sensei," I giggled. "I'll miss you," I told him as I gave him a hug.

"I'll miss you too, Mikan-chan. If you need anything call me right away, okay?" He told me and I nodded. Narumi-sensei was like my second father and although he could be silly sometimes, I really depended on him. I let go and stepped back, wiping the tears from my eyes and plastering on a smile.

"Bye bye, I'll miss you guys!" I cried before stepping into the limo. Once the chauffer had put my bags in the back, we started moving. I turned and waved at them from the back window, and stayed that way until their figures were nothing more than black dots.

'_Bye bye, Gakuen Alice. See you in 4 years.'  
_

* * *

**Natsume POV**

I walked into the classroom, closely followed by Ruka. There was a sombre mood as I made my way to my seat. "Do you think we were too hard on her?" I heard Anna ask.

"No, of course not," Sumeri replied not sounding very convincing.

"But, she did say she was told to keep it a secret…" Nonoko continued.

'_They must be talking about Mikan… I should apologize to her later, yesterday was stupid'_ I thought feeling guilty about how I acted.

Anna spoke "B-But! What if they threatened her? What if she was being used as the academy's secret weapon!? We should have at least listened to her before we over reacted like that and- and- and…!" She cried guiltily.

My mind immediately flashed back to the missions the academy gave me. _'They couldn't be using her as the academy's weapon… Could they?' _I thought, starting to worry. The 3 fell silent.

Koko spoke up. "Why don't we just ask her when she comes?" At that moment the door slid open and in walked a less than happy Narumi which was _never_ a good thing.

"Narumi-sensei what's wrong?" Anna cried, worry plastered on his face.

"M-M-Mikan-chan," he stuttered, tears streaming down his face in waterfalls.

"What about Mikan?" I asked, slightly (read: extremely) worried about the brunette.

"She- She- She… She left!" He exclaimed, shocking the class.

"What?!" The class cried in surprise.

"What are you talking about, Narumi-sensei?!" Nonoko asked him once the shock had worn off slightly.

"Mikan left the academy this morning for an alice training centre," Narumi explained sadly and my eyes widened. _'Mikan… Left?'_ I thought, a heavy sinking feeling in my chest. Everyone seemed to lose the ability to speak at the revelation.

"Is she… Is she coming back?" Ruka asked after a while. Narumi opened his mouth to answer but was cut off by Koko.

"She won't be back for _4 years_!?" He cried and my heart dropped. The class looked towards Koko with shock on their faces before turning back to Narumi.

"Why… Did she leave?" Sumeri asked him.

"I can't tell you that," he replied apologetically.

"It has something to do with her other alice, doesn't it?" Hotaru's voice cut through the noises of protest the group was making.

"How- How do you know about that?" Narumi asked them, concern plastered on his face.

"Why are you so concerned, Narumi-sensei?" Iinchou asked him, suspicious of his behaviour.

"…Do you know what Mikan's other alice actually _is_?" Narumi asked them, deciding to come clean. There wasn't much he could hide from a class with a mind reader in it.

"Steal Erase Copy, right?" Kitsune replied and Narumi nodded.

"Exactly. It is an extremely rare and powerful alice that many would kill for; which is why we were instructed to keep it a secret. If they found out that someone here is in possession of the SEC alice, the AAO would want it. First they would try to obtain it, and if that failed then they would do the next best thing; they'd get rid of it."

"You mean…" Ruka trailed off, eyes wide.

"They would kill her," Narumi finished.

"Looks like you were right, Anna. She did have a good reason," Sumeri laughed bitterly.

"We should have trusted her!" Anna cried.

"So, what do we do now?" Koko asked.

"The only thing we can do; we wait." Hotaru replied.

Suddenly I stood up and walked out of the classroom, leaving the door to slide shut with a bang. I headed straight for _our _sakura tree, hoping I'd feel somehow closer to her there.

'_I'll wait for you Mikan, so you better come back soon.'_

* * *

**So, how was it? It's about 500 words longer than it originally was which makes me pretty happy.  
I'm planning to change a few details as I go but the main thing I want to focus on is the romance between Mikan and Natsume because I did a really sucky job at the end of the original version of this story.**

**Also in case anyone was wondering the Steal Erase Copy alice is kind of like a upgraded version of Mikan's insertion and stealing alices. I know that it isn't used in the manga or anime but it's used in a lot of fan fics and is essentially a fan-created alice.**

**Please tell me what you guys think or if you have any questions! :D Reviews are really helpful and I'd be more than happy to answer any questions :)**


	2. Friends? Don't Make Me Laugh

"Talking"**  
**_'Thinking'  
Flashback_

* * *

**From Kindness to Killer:  
Chapter 1: Friends? Don't make me laugh**_  
'The people who hurt me the most were the people who swore they never would.'_

-oOo-

* * *

**Mikan POV**  
I stepped out of the car as it pulled to a stop. "Mikan-chan!" Someone called happily as they ran over to me. _'Narumi… Well I suppose it's fine it he calls me Mikan,' _I thought. "I missed you!" He cried as he attempted to hug me. Without batting an eyelash I reached out and landed a punch on the side of his face, an angry tick appearing on my forehead.

"Don't push it, Narumi. You're lucky you even get to call me Mikan," I warned coldly. He paled and nodded nervously.

"H-Hai…"

"Now, are you going to show me where my room is or not?"

"Right, follow me!" He chirped, happy to change the subject. "You're going to _love _your room, Mikan-chan!" He said happily. "I decorated the bedroom, you know? Don't worry, it isn't super girly since I thought you'd like something a little more grown up considering you're in high school now…" I tuned him out after realising he would continue his rambling for a while. I wasn't really one for small talk. Or any talk really, mostly just nods and brief answers… I looked at my surroundings as we walked, taking in every detail. It was a skill I learned during training; to see everything and nothing at the same time. If someone asked, I could've told them how many possible hiding spots there were in the current area or the best escape route if we were attacked. However I couldn't tell them how beautiful the sakura trees were, despite my knowledge that they were in full bloom at this time of year or how the colourful flowers looked pretty like a rainbow. It was just how I was taught; observe, don't sightsee. "Well, it looks like we're here!" Narumi exclaimed, snapping me out of my musings. He pulled a key card from his pocket and unlocked the door, holding it open as he waited for me to enter.

If it wasn't for my training I would have gasped as soon as I entered the room. It was _huge._ The room I was standing in was a living room and had light blue walls. On the wall farthest from me were large glass doors that lead to a balcony. There was a modular couch in the centre room, facing the left wall and the large TV hanging on it. On the couch were an array of cushions with blue and green patterns on them, and a white coffee table with an aqua vase and white roses sat in front of it. Picking one of the two doors on the right wall, I found a medium sized kitchen with a fridge and pantry full of my favourite food that I would definitely be using. The other door led to my bedroom which, I had to admit, Narumi had done a good job with. The room was in dark colours, which was a surprise since I was half expecting Narumi to have picked pink or some other girly colour. "I wanted to use orange and pink but your uncle said that you wouldn't like it," Narumi complained with a pout. I shuddered at the thought of such a bright and girly room. I should probably thank my uncle later… "You used to love bright colours when you were younger," Narumi sighed.

"Key words: _Used to_. I'm not a child anymore," I glared at him and he turned to face me, his face turning sad.

"No you aren't, are you?" Before I had time to question his odd behaviour, his sadness was replaced by a grin as he turned and pointed to various things he'd added to the room. Brushing off the odd moment I began to wonder where he got all his energy. Maybe he was secretly a robot and ran on batteries. It worked for the energizer bunny, didn't it?

"Ne, Mikan-chan?" Narumi asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

"What?"

"You… You know I'm always here for you, right?" My eyes widened as he stared at me. His face was unreadable but his eyes were full of emotion; Love, worry, pity. _Pity_- I hated that emotion. I didn't want pity, it made me feel weak and that only reminded me of back then… Suddenly I was no longer in my new room but in a dank, dark forest

_Rocks and sticks dug painfully into my skin as I ran barefoot through the rain. I didn't have time to stop and worry about the pain. If I stopped _they _would catch me and if _they _caught me, then… _'No!' _I forced the thought to the back of my mind and pushed myself harder. If only I'd had a way of seeing in the dark, maybe then I would have noticed the fallen tree before I fell. Maybe then I wouldn't have stopped. Maybe then, _they _wouldn't have caught me…_

"-chan? …-kan-chan? …Mikan-chan!" Someone was calling my name- rather loudly I might add- and waving their hand in front of my face.

"What?" I snapped at them.

"Thank goodness," Narumi sighed, stepping back. "I got worried when you went pale and then you weren't responding when I called you. What happened? Are you sick? Do you need a doctor? A hospital?!" He cried as he fluttered around me checking my temperature and what not. I felt myself get more and more annoyed as he got more and more ridiculous. I drew the line when he began testing to see if I was breathing, reaching out and giving him a violent shove. "What's wrong?" He asked blinking innocently.

"See this?" I asked, drawing a circle in the air around me. "This is my bubble- stay out of it."

"What if I ask to join you in your bubble?"

"Request denied."

"What if I pop it?"

"It's invincible."

"What if-"

"What if you leave my bubble alone and let me have my personal space?" I cut in, angry tick on my forehead. God, this guy was so persistent!

"Fine," he pouted childishly. "I suppose I should leave now anyway- Misaki stole my tutu and told me I couldn't have it back until I got all my paperwork done," he said pulling a face.

"Tutu?" I asked incredulously. I always knew he acted rather feminine but a tutu just crossed the line.

"Yeah! Actually it's pink an-" he started excitedly.

"You know what? Forget I asked." He looked disappointed but complied anyway.

"Well your uniform is in the wardrobe and here is your key card," he said handing it to me. "The door locks on its own so there's nothing to worry about. Class starts at 8:30 but I'll be here to pick you up at 8. Dinner usually starts at 6 or you can just cook something yourself if you don't feel like going to the dining hall. Since it's so late you'll have to cook something yourself if you're hungry. I think that's it… If you need anything else my number is on the desk, bye bye, Mikan-chan." He tried to give me a hug (it didn't turn out very well for him) and said goodbye again before leaving.

"Finally, peace and quiet," I mumbled to myself as I began looking around my room. While Narumi's presence was bearable, it didn't mean that his constant talking didn't give me a headache or his tutu-loving feminism didn't make me want to puke. Getting a proper look at my room I saw that it had dark beige walls and a large, black queen bed with covers matching the walls. The side tables were black as well as the set of draws pushed against one wall. On either side of the drawers was a window with grey curtains and above it was a mirror. The floor was carpeted and light grey in colour. In other words the room was dark- just how I liked it. I looked at the time and saw it was almost 11pm, meaning I hadn't eaten for 16 hours- no wonder I was so hungry. I wandered into the kitchen and opened the fridge hoping to find something that required minimum effort. Call me lazy but I didn't really feel like cooking at 11. Sadly everything in the fridge required more effort than 30 seconds of microwaving, so I abandoned that options and moved onto the pantry. Fortunately most of the stuff in there was already cooked and I was able to grab a packet of crackers as well as an apple from the bowl of fruit on the counter. After quickly inhaling the apple and half the box of crackers I had a shower and went to bed. Hopefully tonight would be peaceful and I wouldn't have that nightmare again.

* * *

_**Beep! Beep! Beep!**_** Crash!**

"Stupid alarm clock, you deserved your fate," I grumbled as I stared down at my now destroyed alarm clock. Rest in pieces you demonic contraption. At least I managed to escape the nightmare and get a decent night's sleep. Wiping the sleep from my eyes I stood up and went to the kitchen. I grabbed a jam doughnut from the pantry a scarfed it down before taking a shower and brushing my teeth. The high school uniform consisted of a white blouse, crimson tartan skirt with a matching tie and a black, fitted blazer embroidered with the academy's logo in gold. I brushed my waist length hair so it looked tame and undid the first button of my shirt with the tie left loose.

Narumi still wouldn't be here for an hour so I decided to kill some time watching TV. Usually I would get up at 5 and go for an hour run before getting ready for morning practice at 7. Now that I was at the Academy I would still go for an hour run but I could sleep in for an extra hour and I have classes instead of morning practice meaning my training had suddenly become a lot more laid back. Of course, using the excuse of 'being tired from the move', I managed to escape from today's morning run. When I heard a knock on the door I switched off the TV and grabbed my book bag, key card and iPod before exiting the door.

"Good morning, Mikan-chan!" Narumi sung, surrounded by a flowery aura.

"Hn," I greeted. I followed him as he led me to my class. It turned out he was my teacher- _joy_ (cue eye roll).

"Well you're in 2B again," he started with a giggle (that's right- _giggle_). "We're going to have so much fun now that everyone is together again!" What did he just say? "You know I-"

"What do you mean 'everyone is together again'?" I asked him, hoping that he wouldn't say that…

"I mean your class is the same as it was four years ago." And cue hope-crushing. "You're going to be with your friends again, aren't you happy?" Friends? _Friends?_ They'd be lucky if I even called them acquaintances, let alone _friends. _No, I would never consider those traitors friends. I wouldn't make that mistake again. "It looks like we're here," Narumi said, pulling me from my thoughts. He seemed to be doing a lot of that. "Why don't you wait here until I call you? They're going to be so surprised!" Surprised? More like horrified. I bet they hoped they'd never see me again. Narumi entered the class with a twirl and from behind the door I could hear his cheerful greeting. It was pretty hard to miss the groans of annoyance from the students. They should be glad he wasn't wearing the tutu. From what I hear it's pink and very glittery, _very _appropriate on a grown man (note the sarcasm. If I ever get my hands on that tutu I'm going to burn it- preferably while Narumi's still wearing it).

"…We have a new student! Or maybe it should be returning? Either way, why don't you come in?" Taking that as my cue I pushed the door open and walked to the front of the room. They were all silent as I entered which was almost ironic considering the first time I came to the academy they all acted like monkeys. At first they didn't seem to realise who I was, but slowly recognition became apparent on their faces.

"Mikan…Chan?" I heard one person ask. Turning my head in their direction I noticed that it was Anna who spoke first. It seemed she triggered a chain reaction and soon they were all talking animatedly, well save for the people I was closer to; they just sat there, gaping like fish.

"When did you get back?"

"We should totally hang out sometime soon!"

"You should have told us you were coming back! We would have thrown a party!" Really, did these people forget what happened so easily? Well I didn't, and I sure as hell wasn't going to act all buddy-buddy with this group of backstabbers. Poor Narumi who was all smiles was about to see just how 'grown-up' Mikan was- Oh yes, little goody-two-shoes was dead and buried, and dead and buried she would stay.

"Fuck off," I said, my voice cutting through the groups' noise.

"What?" Someone asked dumbly.

"Obviously you need you hearing checked. I said: _Fuck. Off._"

"M-Mikan-chan, that's not something you should say to your classmates," Narumi scolded, obviously shocked at my sudden outburst.

"Why not?"

"B-Because! They're your friends!" He exclaimed incredulously.

"Really? That's interesting, since last time I checked friends trust each other, but you know, I could be wrong," I replied sarcastically. At least they had the dignity to look somewhat embarrassed.

"Ne, Mi-chan-" Nonoko started but I cut her off by laughing. Understandably, she and the rest of the class looked at me like I was crazy- maybe I was?

"Mi-chan? That's okay Nonoko, _you don't have to pretend like we're friends anymore_," I smiled cruelly at them as I threw their words back in their face. When I received no response I turned to Narumi who looked kind of catatonic- oopsie? Obviously the shock of seeing his little Mikan so spiteful was too much for him. "Oooiiii," I called poking him in the cheek. After a few dozen jabs he seemed to return to Earth… Almost.

"M-Mikan…Chan?" He stuttered, slightly dazed.

"Where am I supposed to sit?" He seemed to return completely then and turned excitedly to the class- clearly happy for a distraction.

"Hmm…" He mumbled as he scanned the classroom.

"It seems the only empty spot is the one next to Natsume-kun. Well why don't you sit there?" I froze at the mention of _his _name. Among all of my (ex)friends, both his and Hotaru's betrayal had definitely hurt the most.

"Whatever," I replied nonchalantly, masking my feelings like I always did.

"Oh and I just remembered, what shall we do about your partner?" He seemed really troubled; after all, who should you make the partner of the person who hates the class?

"No partner," I stated.

"But you have to! It's in the rules!" He cried.

"You think I obey those things? Besides, partners are for new students and I'm no new student- unless of course you all forgot about me until now, which –now that I think about it- isn't that unbelievable."

"B-But..!" Finally he gave in. "Free study in celebration of Mikan's return!" He tried to get everyone excited but failed miserably so just gave up and left the classroom with his head hung low. As I walked over to my seat, I ignored the stares and quite whispers. When I sat down, I pulled out my iPod and disappeared into my bubble (remember, the invisible one?). Sadly my peace was soon disturbed by the group of people walking up to me. I pulled out my earphones, aware that they wouldn't give up until I talked to them. Not wasting my breath on them, I simply raised an eyebrow in question.

"A-Ano, Mi-cha-"

"Stop calling me that," I glared at the blue haired girl and she nodded nervously.

"Mi- Sakura-san… We just wanted to um…" Anna continued nervously in place of her sister but was eventually cut off by Sumeri.

"Look, we wanted to apologise," she said bravely although she still avoided eye contact.

"Apologise? You can apologise all you want, it won't make me hate you any less." With those kind words I stood up and left, in search of somewhere no one would bother me.

* * *

**Natsume POV**

I thought it was weird when Narumi came into the classroom even happier than usual but I never guessed that the reason was _her_.

Mikan.

To say that I was surprised when she walked into the classroom would be an understatement. When Narumi said that there would be a new student, no one guessed it would be her- in fact nobody even realised it was her at first. After all, who could've guessed that sweet little pig-tailed Mikan would turn out like that. This girl with long brown hair, caramel eyes, pale skin and such soft looking lips- Wait, where was this going? Oh right. This girl could not have been Mikan- but it was. Of course when the class realised this they became excited. I doubt anybody expected the first thing out of her mouth to be 'Fuck off', but that was Mikan for you- what she did next was always a surprise.

"Obviously you need you hearing checked. I said: _Fuck. Off._"

I had to hand it to her- she'd really out done herself surprise-wise. The class was staring her like fish out of water while Narumi looked like he was ready to pass out. And me? Let's just say I was glad everyone was too distracted to see what my expression was. Narumi tried to fumble out some sort of a scolding but only ended up with a sarcastic and very un-Mikan-like reply.

"Really? That's interesting, since last time I checked friends trust each other, but you know, I could be wrong."

Ouch.

Okay, I'd give her that one. We'd definitely failed in the friend department. However I was less concerned about my failure (because Natsume Hyuuga was _not _supposed to fail) and more focused on Mikan's knew attitude. Mikan was supposed to be fun and energetic, and like the sun, but this Mikan was cold, blunt and sarcastic- total opposites. Could it have been _us _that caused her to become like this? It was possible, but somehow I doubted that Mikan- who was more resilient than a soft-shelled turtle*- would be knocked so far down by something like that. Would she be sad? Of course. Would she be angry? Definitely. But a complete 180 in her personality? There had to be more to it. As I heard the door shut, I realised I'd missed the rest of the conversation, but a quick glance at Mikan gave me all the information I needed- she was coming over here. Wait. _She was coming over here. _Why was she coming over here? Was she going to speak to me? I hoped so. My hopes were crushed as- instead of talking to me- she sat beside me; not a bad compromise. At least that was what I thought until she pulled out her iPod and promptly ignored me and the rest of the class. She was doing a pretty good job at ignoring us too, considering I wasn't the only one boring a hole into her head with my eyes. However when the gang walked up she removed her earphones and raised her eyebrow, signalling for them to spit out whatever they wanted to say.

"A-Ano, Mi-cha-," Nonoko started, looking a little more than just scared to be speaking to Mikan.

"Stop calling me that." She glared coldly at them and if I wasn't Natsume Hyuuga, I would've flinched.

"Mi- Sakura-san… We just wanted to um…" Anna continued. Just like her sister she seemed terrified to be speaking to Mikan, and that intense glare she was giving the girl was clearly not helping.

"Look, we wanted to apologise," Sumeri cut in acting braver than the other two girls, although she was still avoiding eye contact.

"Apologise? You can apologise all you want, it won't make me hate you any less." Cue wave of guilt. Okay, maybe there _wasn't _more to her odd behaviour than our horrible behaviour. It looks like we'd hurt her more than we thought. That _I'd _hurt her more than I thought.

And that hurt _me_.

* * *

***Soft-shelled turtles are reaaally persistent in that whenever they grab onto something, it's really hard to get them to let go, hence the analogy.**

**Wooow, I'm pretty sure that's the longest chapter I've **_**ever **_**written! :O Go me! :D  
Well, 2nd chappie done, how are you guys liking it so far? I really think I've done a much better job than originally, I just hope you guys think the same :)**


	3. My Dangerous Abilities

**Thanks to all the awesome people who read, reviewed, favourite and followed my story! :D I'm surprised at the awesome response I got from you guys because there's only two chapters yet I've gotten reviews, favourites and follows already :)**

* * *

"Talking"**  
**_'Thinking'_

* * *

**From Kindness to Killer:  
Chapter 3: My dangerous abilities**_  
'It is dangerous to exist in the world.'_

-oOo-

* * *

**Mikan POV**

I was getting really sick of this. Whenever I managed to find some peace, it would always get disturbed. I really needed to upgrade my bubble to sound-proof. Maybe there's an alice I could copy…

The text message I had just received was from my uncle, asking me to go to his office. With a sigh I headed off towards his office, wondering if Shiki would let me copy his barrier alice. Once I reached the office I knocked on the door and entered.

"Mikan, it's nice to see you again," My uncle greeted with a smile.

"It's nice to see you too, Oji-san," I replied, giving him a small smile. Out of the three people at this academy that I didn't hate, my uncle was probably the only one I would smile for. Well maybe Shiki, too, but Narumi? He was more likely to gain a black eye than a smile if he kept mentioning that damned tutu. "So why did you call me here?"

"Aside from wanting to see my niece who I haven't seen for 4 years, I also wanted to tell you which ability class you've been put in." He stood and gave me a hug before I took a seat on the other side of his desk.

"Let me guess, the DA?" I already knew what they'd put me in. There was no way they'd allow me back into the Special Abilities class now that I'd discovered and trained my SEC alice.

"Yes."

"So I suppose that means I'll be doing missions, too?"

"I'm afraid so. I don't like the idea of you having to do missions but it wouldn't be fair to let you off and not the other students." My uncle replied with a frown on his face.

"I understand. Besides, the missions can't be harder than my training was at the ATF (Alice Training Facility)," I shrugged it off. I was serious when I said nothing could be harder than my training. My coach made Persona look like an angle- trust me, I'm not exaggerating.

"When you attend the class you are expected to wear this mask and alice controllers," he handed me a plain box. "You will also go by the codename Hell's Angel while there."

"Fine."

"Well, since that's all I called you for, you're free to leave now," he told me and I stood to leave. As I reached the door, he called my name. "Mikan?"

"Yeah?"

"Be safe." I turned and gave him a small smile before leaving the room.

* * *

Deciding that it wasn't worth going back to class just to spend the rest of the day being hassled by a bunch of idiots, I went back to my room. After getting changed into something more comfortable, I sat down and opened the box. Inside was a white half mask with cherry blossoms painted on it. Also inside the box were some alice control devices. There was a simple black choker, a pair of black and silver studs, a silver ear hugger with cherry blossoms engraved into it and a silver bracelet with black jewels. Suddenly my phone rang to indicate I'd received a message, so I set the box back on the table and pulled out my phone.

To: Mikan Sakura  
From: XXX-572-043

_Northern Forest 7:00pm  
-Persona_

Well, it looked like it was time to test out my new stuff. Looking at the clock, I saw I had just enough to get changed and make it to the meeting spot without being late. Walking over to my wardrobe, I thought about which clothes to wear. After a while I decided on the clothes I used to train in back at the ATF. They were simple clothes, just a black singlet and black shorts. After changing I pulled my hair into a high ponytail and slipped on the controllers and mask before heading over to the balcony. I decided I would take the tree-top route as opposed to walking there. This way I could remain unseen as well as get there faster. I leaped over the railing and into the nearest tree before swinging off the branch and landing in the next one. I continued this until I spotted Persona standing in a clearing nearby. Landing beside him, I noticed that there was also another person standing there. As soon as I saw them I had the overwhelming urge to go hit something, because standing there was none other than the Kuro Neko; Natsume Hyuuga.

"Hell's Angel, you're late," Persona greeted and I rolled my eyes.

"Or you're early. You said 7:00 and here I am, right on time." I said showing him the clock on my phone. He gave me a glare before speaking.

"Hell's Angle, meet Kuro Neko, he will be your partner for missions." No. No, no, no, no, _no_! I was _not _partnering up with _him_. "Until I decide otherwise, you will be working together. Any disobedient behaviour and I will see to it myself that you are punished." Okay, so maybe I _was _partnering up with him. But it doesn't mean I like it! Damn sadistic teacher, if it wasn't for the electric shock this choker could give me, I would _so _whip his ass. I wish I would have found the note from my uncle telling me it was the kind of controller that could shock the wearer, _before _I put it on. Now I couldn't take it off unless a teacher removed it for me.

"What's the mission?" I heard Hyuuga ask. Persona handed us each a manila folder and began briefing us on the mission.

"Your mission is to retrieve a USB containing details on certain alices the Academy has been researching. You have until 11pm tonight." We nodded and Persona disappeared.

"Mik-" I cut Hyuuga off before he could even finish my name.

"Let's go, Kuro Neko." I told him before leaping into the trees, not giving him the opportunity to speak.

* * *

I sat on a branch high up in a tree, watching the AAO hide-out. I activated my sonar alice and began scanning the inside, looking for the easiest entry route and counting the guards. "There are 30 guards on the back entry, 15 on the front. Inside there's a total of around 80 guards spread over the building. Most are centred around one room, which I assume is the one we are looking for," I told Hyuuga.

"We should take the front entry then," he replied and I rolled my eyes.

"Are you stupid? The AAO aren't idiots. If there are less guards out front it means there is some other form of security there. It's probably some kind of pain inducing device, and I like my limbs attached to my body." He glared at me (probably embarrassed by his stupid suggestion) before nodding.

"Fine then, we go through the back." I nodded and on the count of three we leaped out of the trees and over to the guards, immediately beginning our attack. I sent ice daggers at four of the guards using my ice alice. I then switched to sound manipulation and another six guards went down, gripping their bleeding ears in pain. I just had time to turn and avoid getting hit as something whizzed past my head. Turning around, I saw another five guards, one of them holding a throwing knife in his hand. As the group charged at me the guards knife disappeared and in its place appeared a sword. I was confused until I realised what had happened.

"Weapon creation alice, huh?" I smirked as I fought the guards, taking them down one by one. When the guard holding the sword was the only one left, I paused. "I don't have that alice yet," I stepped forward, as if I was about to punch. However instead of hitting, I simply placed my hand on his chest. A tingly feeling filled me momentarily until it dissipated and the man was left without a weapon. He looked at me in panicked confusion as a knife appeared in my hand. "Thank you for your contribution," I said as I stabbed him. As he fell to the ground, I let the knife disappear; his alice would be useful to me. When no more guards came after me, I searched for my partner. He was standing amongst a bunch of passed out guards. "Let's go before more come," I told him and we ran over to the door.

"Wait," he called and I paused.

"What?" I snapped.

"Look," I turned around and noticed faint red lines around the ground near the door; lasers. I would have fried the control box to turn them off, but there wasn't one in site and I didn't have the time to search for one.

"Give me your hand," I ordered him, holding out my hand for him to take. He looked at me curiously, staring at my hand suspiciously.

"Why?"

"Just give me your damn hand, Hyuuga." I rolled my eyes, God- it wasn't like I was going to eat him! He gripped my hand and I activated my alice, lifting us into the air. He looked around wide-eyed before registering what was happening.

"You copied Mochu's alice," he commented casually, as if it were an everyday occasion. Which, I realised, it was in our lives.

"Actually it was Kitsuneme's, I already have the telekinesis alice." I replied as I guided us over the lasers and to the door. Making sure to keep us floating, I also activated my technology manipulation alice, disabling the electronic lock on the door.

"Impressive," Hyuuga said as I set us down.

"I know." We ran through the building towards the room with the USB, avoiding and fighting any guards we came across. Once we reached the room, we hid behind a wall and peered around the corner. Outside the room were ten guards but I knew that there was triple that amount inside.

"We attack on three," Hyuuga told me.

"Or would could go the easy way," I replied and he stared at me curiously as I turned back to the guards. With a wave of my hand, the 10 guards collapsed to the floor. Turning back to Hyuuga I smirked. "The sleep alice." I stepped out from around the corner and walked over to the door.

"I'll go in first, you cover me." I nodded and stood behind Hyuuga as he moved closer to the door. He held up three fingers, then two, then one. As he lowered the final finger he threw open the door and began his attack. Inside the room were about 30 guards who, lucky for us, seemed stunned by our appearance. Using their disorientation to our favour, we took out 10 guards. By then the rest seemed to realise what was happening and began attacking. As 5 of the guards came at me, I activated my gravity manipulation alice, forcing them to the ground and crushing them until they passed out. Seeing there was only 10 guards left, I took on 5 and left the others for Hyuuga.

I took four of the remaining guards down relatively quickly but was unprepared when the fifth attacked me with an alice. Web-like threads shot out from his hand and came at me. I dodged all of them except for one which managed to skim my arm. When a sharp pain filled my arm and blood appeared where the thread hit, I was surprised. So they were sharp? Interesting. To save myself any trouble, I stole the man's alice as opposed to copying it like I usually did. When the tingly feeling that appeared when I stole an alice dissipated, I was left panting. Stealing two alices in the same night had taken a lot out of me. Taking the now alice-less guard out with and ice dagger, I then walked over to the centre of the room where there stood a podium with the USB place on it and lasers, glass and a few other protection methods surrounded it.

"If you touch it all the guards in this place will come running." Hyuuga said, coming up behind me.

"Not if I disable the alarm they won't," I replied, using my technology manipulation alice to fry the electronics. After a few seconds the security surrounding the USB shut off, making it easy for me to lift off the glass and retrieve the device. I placed it in my pocket and then turned to Hyuuga. "Okay, let's go." We dashed out the door and through the hallways, when all of a sudden pulsing red lights filled our vision.

"Shit. One of the guards must have still been alive," Hyuuga cursed over the loud alarm that filled the warehouse. Within seconds we were being chased by more guards who were slowly gaining on us. I turned to Hyuuga and held out my hand as we ran.

"Give me your hand." He placed his hand in mine and despite how tired I was from using my alice so much, I activated my teleportation alice and took us back to the academy.

"If you could use teleportation, why didn't you use it earlier?" Hyuuga asked as we appeared back at the academy.

"Teleporting two people takes a lot more energy than just one. I don't think it would have been smart to use all my energy before we even got there." I replied with a roll of my eyes, trying to hide my panting. We began walking back to the clearing, arriving just on time.

"The USB?" Persona asked as he appeared from the shadows.

"Here," I held out the small object for him to take.

"Mission successful. You're dismissed," he said before disappearing. Taking that as my cue to leave, I turned and began walking back to my room.

* * *

**Natsume POV**

I followed Mikan as she began walking back to her room. I hadn't had the chance to talk to her properly yet and now was the perfect time. "Mikan," I called. She kept walking, totally ignoring me. "Mikan," I tried again, only to achieve the same result. I was about to call out to her again when I noticed a trail of red running down her arm. "You got hurt," I stated.

"What's it to you?" Well, at least I got a reply.

"Does it hurt?"

"I'm fine," she snapped. I pulled out my handkerchief and grabbed her arm.

"What are you doing?" She asked angrily.

"I'm wrapping your wound," I replied as I tied the cloth around her arm.

"I _said _I was fine!" She yelled, tearing her arm from my grasp.

"Are you?" I asked. I don't really know what made me ask, but there was something… _Off _about Mikan and I wasn't talking about her new personality. On the mission she didn't seem to mind what we were doing, that we were killing. The old Mikan wouldn't have killed- couldn't have killed. But this Mikan? She wasn't fazed in the slightest. Her eyes widened for a second before she glared.

"Why would you care, anyway? I'm a _liar, untrustworthy, _a _bad friend_! Don't you remember?!" My eye's widened in shock. This wasn't the old Mikan. No, the old Mikan was gone because we- _I -_ killed her. How ironic; I killed the girl I love.

But that's okay because I _would _get my Mikan back.

* * *

**How was it? I'm not really sure about the ending but I don't think it was too bad. I hope I made the mission better this time around because that's one of the things that really bugged me. I hope Mikan seems more bad-ass now :) **

**Thanks for reading! Reviews appreciated: D**


	4. Angel from Hell

"Talking"**  
**_'Thinking'  
Flashback_

* * *

**From Kindness to Killer:  
Chapter 4: Angel from Hell**_  
'A devil in disguise, the angel from hell will take you by surprise'_

-oOo-

* * *

**Mikan POV**

It was sad, really. I hadn't seen him since I returned to the academy last week and I was starting to hope that maybe, just maybe, he'd left, disappeared, gone _poof_! Unfortunately I was wrong because there he stood in all his glory at the front of the class;

Jinno.

He'd been rambling on about quadratic equations the last time I'd tuned in, and I bet that he had yet to change topics. Not that it mattered to me considering I had my earphone in and my music turned up loud enough so I couldn't hear him.

"-kura!"

I could have sworn I heard something…

"-Sakura!"

See!? There it was again…

"Mikan Sakura!" Jin-Jin screamed, now standing directly in front of me. Oh_, _so _that's _what that annoying sound was.

"Yes?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Maybe if I was lucky he'd leave and I could get back to my precious iPod time.

"You insolent girl! I have been calling you for the last five minutes!" Insolent? Yep, that just about covered it.

"Sorry, Jin-Jin," I apologised, sarcasm lacing my tone. "I'm afraid the god of pod was calling louder. Looks like you'll have to try harder next time." Wow, I wasn't aware a person could turn that shade of red.

"Well then, if you think you're so smart then how about you try and solve the problem on the board for us?" He smirked. I walked lazily up to the board and read the problem. Honestly, he couldn't have picked something easier. Well, he could have, but then I could have done it in my sleep, and that would make Jin-Jin look bad. I picked up the piece of chalk and wrote a large 0 at the end of the equation.

"There's your answer," I turned to face him with a smirk on my face.

"Incorrect, Miss Sakura. Maybe you should pay more attention during class. I'll be seeing you in detention," he smiled smugly.

"Incorrect, Jin-Jin," I replied, causing his smile to falter. "If you hadn't left out the 7, the answer would have been 5964, but since you _did _leave out the 7, the answer is 0." He whipped around to face the board, taking a minute to read the problem and find his mistake. Suddenly realisation dawned on his face. I smirked as I walked back to my seat and grabbed my bag. The class watched me curiously as I walked over to the nearest window and slid it open before dropping their jaws as I jumped out. What? I wasn't going to stay here and be hounded by Jin-Jin for the rest of the period, but I wasn't going to walk down _all _those flights of stairs, either. Now, time to go find somewhere to be antisocial in peace.

* * *

During lunch, I found out that today was the day we went to ability classes. In high school, we had two lessons of class in the morning and then ability classes the rest of the day. This is the reason why I was currently heading towards the Dangerous Ability class's room. When I found the right one, I entered without knocking and had to dodge as a knife whizzed past my head.

"It would be wise to knock next time, Hell's Angel," Person advised as some kid came and retrieved the knife. Well gee, weren't they welcoming? I didn't recognise anyone in the room aside from Hyuuga because of the masks we were wearing. "Everyone, this is Hell's Angel. She is the newest member of this class." The group turned to look at me as if expecting me to add something.

"Hn," I nodded. It wasn't much, but at least they knew that Persona wasn't lying and that I was, in fact, Hell's Angel. Realising I wasn't going to say anything else, the group turned back to Persona who then begun explaining what the day's activities would be.

"Today we'll be pairing up and sparring. The winner from each pair will then move on to someone else until a final winner is decided." He smirked before adding, "try your best not to get killed." With that lovely comment (that was sarcasm in case you didn't notice) everyone spilt into pairs almost instantly. They must have had predetermined partners, meaning that my partner would be… Oh god, kill me now. As people started dispersing, I hung back, hoping to be forgotten by the boy in the cat mask.

"Oi, Polka." Damn, looks like this wasn't my lucky day.

"It's Hells Angel," I snapped turning to face him. He simply rolled his eyes before gesturing towards the door.

"Come on."

"Where are we going?" I wasn't about to go to some mysterious place with _him_.

"You didn't think we were going to train in here did you? We're going to the Northern forest; it's where we always train." He turned and began walking out the door, leaving me to follow behind him. He didn't seriously think I was going to _walk _all the way there, did he? I mean we _could _take the long way and waste a bunch of time, or… I grabbed his hand and before he knew what was happening, teleported us to the forest. "Oi! What was that for?" He snapped.

"I got us here much faster so stop complaining. Now where do we go? The sooner I get to beat you, the better."

"Don't be so confident that you'll beat me, Polka," he smirked before leading me deeper into the forest. "A little further and there should be a clearing; we can fight there." True to his word, we soon reached a clearing that seemed big enough to fight in. We took up position on opposite sides of the clearing before he spoke.

"On 3."

"1…"

"2…"

"3!" I dodged left as a ball of fire flew past me. Looks like he wasn't going easy on me- just the way I liked it. "You'll have to try harder than that, Hyuuga!" I smirked as I shot forward, striking him with punches, all of which he dodged.

"Same goes for you," he mocked. We exchanged a few more blows before stepping back and circling each other. We simply watched each other, looking for an opening. Suddenly Hyuuga shot forward and as I tried to dodge, my foot got snaked in a fall branch and I was sent toppling to the ground. Hyuuga landed on top of me, trapping me with his arms. He leaned forward and whispered in my ear. "Got you, Mikan." Suddenly I was no longer in the clearing.

_Blood ran down my legs as I scramble to my feet, only to fall again as pain shot through my ankle. No! I couldn't stop. My ankle was not broken, I was fine, I could keep running. I tried to stand, but was once again knocked back down by the stabbing pain. How could I have missed the fallen tree? Now _they_ would catch me… All of a sudden I heard rustling coming from behind me and then voices, indicating that my pursuers were gaining on me. Panic and fear filled me as I once again stood, only this time I made sure not to fall. I would _not _be caught. I limped as fast as I could through the dark forest. Suddenly arms wrapped around my waist and lifted me from the ground. I let out an ear piercing scream. "Got you, Mikan…"_

Panic filled me as I struggled against the arms that held me. No, I wouldn't be caught. I wouldn't go back _there_. Not again… "Oi, Polka! Calm down, it's me!" Someone called out to me, but I wouldn't listen. If I gave up I'd be caught. As a scream tore through my throat I let out as burst of power, and a bright light filled the clearing. When the light died down I sat up, panting heavily. On the other side of the clearing was Hyuuga; and he wasn't moving. I crawled over to him and checked his breathing and pulse. Both were there (so at least he wasn't dead), but they were shallow.

"Come on, Hyuuga. Don't die on me," I muttered as I began using my healing alice. Colour returned to his cheeks and his breathing became normal, and soon his eyes slid open.

"Polka?" He said as he sat up. "What happened?" I knew what he was asking. He already knew that I'd knocked him out with my alice; he wanted to know _why_ I did.

"Looks like I won," I smirked, avoiding the question.

"Don't change the subject," he said in irritation. I ignored him as I stood up slowly, for some reason I was feeling a little sick.

"Time to go find the next person to fight," I said and he stood. I began walking away as he called out after me.

"Don't igno-" His words were cut off as spots filled my vision and the ground tilted up. Looks like I was more than just 'a little sick'…

* * *

**Natsume POV**

I waited in the DA room for Mikan to show up. The door opened without warning and a knife flew towards the intruder who dodged it swiftly. There was a reason that no one visited the DA class; that was one of them. A masked girl walked in and I immediately recognised her as Mikan. She exchanged a few words with Persona (none of which were very pleasant) before he turned towards us. He introduced her to the class as Hells Angel and she nodded in greeting.

"Today we'll be pairing up and sparring." Persona said once the introduction was over. He filled us in on the rules before disappearing, leaving us to our own devices. Everyone split into pairs and I moved towards Mikan.

"Come on, Polka," I called and she glared at me.

"It's Hells Angel," she snapped and I simply rolled my eyes. Did she honestly think I'd stop calling her Polka because of a glare? I started leading her towards the Northern Forest, only to be teleported there due to her impatience.

"What was that for?" I asked her as we appeared at the entrance to the forest.

"It got us here faster, didn't it?" I left it at that and began leading her to the clearing. "The sooner I beat you the better," she stated cockily and I smirked.

"Don't be so confident that you'll beat me, Polka." She simply moved to the opposite side of the clearing and got in a fighting position.

"On 3."

"1…"

"2…"

"3!" We shot towards each other and exchanged various blows. I saw an opening and moved towards her. She seemed to trip and fell backwards, me falling on top of her.

"Got you, Mikan," I whispered as I trapped her beneath me. I expected some snarky reply, instead her eyes were glazed over and a look of fear painted her face. We stayed like that for a minute until she suddenly started struggling. At first I thought she just wanted me to let go so we could keep fighting, except when I looked down she had a look of pure terror on her face. I became worried as her struggling became more violent. "Oi, Polka! Calm down, it's me!" I don't know what she was seeing or who she thought I was, but it was clear that she hadn't registered that it was _me _who was there. A scream tore through her throat and a bright light appeared. Pain shot through me and I felt myself thrown back. I didn't register the impact of my landing as my vision went back.

…Ouch. Everything hurt and I couldn't see, it felt as if I were floating through a sea of black. What was I doing again? Mikan… That's right, we were fighting and then… And then what? Right, she started acting weird and a bright light appeared… She must have used one of her alices. As I was thinking, a warm feeling filled my body. Suddenly the black vanished and Mikan replaced it. I didn't feel pain anymore, so Mikan must have healed me. She had a lot of alices, didn't she? I sat up and watched Mikan curiously. She was avoiding my eyes and fidgeting.

"What happened?" She stiffened slightly before smirking.

"Looks like I won," she smirked and my eyebrow twitched.

"Don't avoid the question." Why wouldn't she tell me why she was acting so strangely back there?

"Time to go find the next person to fight," she stood and began walking away. I followed her and called after her.

"Don't ignore me," I snapped- Wait, why was she falling? "Mikan!" I ran forward and caught her before she hit the ground. "Oi!" She looked pale and was breathing heavily. When blood dripped from her mouth, I lifted her into my arms and began rushing towards the hospital. I wasn't about to let her die. I ran full speed towards the hospital, thankful that it was so close. I reached it quickly and was glad when the nurses on duty immediately sensed what was going on. They took Mikan from my arms and laid her on a gurney, rushing her through the halls and into a room marked 'Emergency'. I leaned against a wall and caught my breath before walking up to the lady at the desk and asking where I could wait for Mikan. She directed me to some seats outside of the door Mikan disappeared through and I sat down.

It seemed like I'd be there for a while.

* * *

**I fixed it up a little so I didn't change POV's so often thanks to some tips I got from Dark Diamond Lover. I hope you liked this chappie. I feel I made the fight between Mikan and Natsume a bit short but I think it was okay. **

**Thanks for reading, I hope you guys leave a review and tell me what you think :D**


	5. Continuously Intermittent

**Once again thanks to everyone who reviewed, favourite etc. :D**

* * *

"Talking"**  
**_'Thinking'_

* * *

**From Kindness to Killer:  
Chapter 5: Continuously Intermittent**

'_The very first requirement in a hospital is that it should do the sick no harm.'_

-oOo-

* * *

**Mikan POV**

…_Beep!_

Stupid alarm.

…_Beep!_

I don't want to get up yet.

…_Beep!_

You're really annoying me.

…_Beep!_

Shut up already!

…_Bee-!_

I shot my arm out in the direction of the noise, effectively stopping it, only to register pain a moment later. "Ouch! That fucking hurts!" I cried in pain, voice hoarse. Someone chuckled, causing me to slide my eyes open and glare in their general direction, wincing soon after. "Ow. Bright light hurts." I mumbled, causing them to chuckle again. I opened my eyes again, this time more successful. Now I could glare at the idiot who had been laughing at my expense; Hyuuga. Why did he have to be the first one I saw when I woke up? "Where am I?"

"The hospital," he replied. That explained the beeping and excessive amount of white in the room.

"Why?" The last thing I remembered was talking to Hyuuga and then…

"You passed out when you were avoiding my question- which by the way, I _will _get an answer to." Damn, and here I was hoping he'd forgotten. At least I knew why I was here.

"How long have I been here?"

"Almost a week."

"Huh…"

"You don't sound surprised." He commented, raising his eyebrow.

"That's because I'm not," I replied. "This happens occasionally." It was true. Sometimes my power just built up to the point that my body couldn't take it because I was so powerful, or my alice would come close to disappearing and I would pass out so my body could restore it. This was a situation unique to me because of a rare alice I copied a while ago.

My alice type was the type that allowed me to use a lot of power for a short time, but would decrease the life-span of my alice, until it eventually disappeared. However, the alice I copied restores the life-span of my alice each time it comes close to depleting, meaning that my alice will never disappear and is virtually unlimited. I guessed this was one of the times that my alice had started running out because although I was sore, I wasn't in agonising pain, nor was I waking up in an ICU.

"So this happens a lot?" Hyuuga asked, drawing me from my thoughts. I shrugged before replying.

"Not really. If you don't count the times that I overuse my alice, then I suppose it happens every few months depending on how often I've used my alice."

"Wait, what do you mean 'if you don't count the times that I overuse my alice'? Why else would this happen?" He asked and I sighed. Did I really want to answer? No, not really, but I supposed I owed him for bringing me here. So I explained the situation to him as briefly as possible, hoping it would shut him up.

"Get it?" I asked and he nodded.

"So when this happens you just pass out? No warning or anything?"

"Usually it'll happen after I use my alice. As for warning signs, I don't think there are any. I mean, sometimes I'll feel kind of sick or dizzy, but other than that it's pretty unpredictable." I explained and he listened intently, interested by my odd situation. He looked as if he was about to say something when the door slammed open and I was tackled by a blonde blob.

"Mikan-chan!" The person cried as they suffocated me.

"Can't. Breath." I said breathlessly as I struggled against the death hug. Suddenly an orange glow appeared from behind me and the person froze.

"Eeep!" They cried before letting go and ducking down to hide behind the bed. I turned and saw a smirking Hyuuga meaning that he was responsible for the now terrified person hiding under my bed.

"Narumi, get out from there." I ordered.

"But he's going to fry me if I come out!" He cried, not moving from his spot. I wasn't in the mood for his irritating whining so I simply lit a fireball in my hand.

"And _I_ will if you don't." Deciding that his best option was to listen to me, he crawled out from under the bed and stood up.

"Okay! I'm out! Don't cook me!" He cried and I let the flame disappear.

"So long as you don't annoy me." I replied as the door opened a gain. Great, more annoying people. A nurse entered the room and smiled at me.

"I'm glad to see you're awake, Sakura-san, although I can't say I'm happy about that" she said pointing to the broken heart monitor, before turning to the other two in the room. "I'm afraid you will have to leave, we need to run some tests on Sakura-san." Narumi pouted before begrudgingly leaving the room. Natsume began exiting as well, only to pause and glance back before leaving the room. What was _that _all about? "You're so lucky to have a boyfriend like that," the nurse sighed happily as she paged the doctor.

"Excuse me?" Did she just say what I thought she did?

"When he first brought you in here he looked as if he'd run from the other side of the school just to bring you here!" She exclaimed, oblivious to my question. "And then when you were unconscious he refused to leave your side! He only ever moved if it was necessary and even then it wasn't often. He must have been very worried! You're lucky to have someone who loves you like that!" The nurse was drawn out of her happy daze when the doctor entered the room. I was shocked. She thought that Hyuuga and I- That we- That he- L-Like? Him and me? No! No way! Not in a million years! I denied furiously in my head. No, I didn't like Hyuuga. He hurt me after all. I didn't like him anymore…

Did I…? I shook my head, ridding myself of that last thought. I must have been more tired than I thought if I was thinking stuff like that. That nurse didn't know what she was talking about. Hyuuga couldn't like me- he betrayed me. I brushed away those thoughts and tuned back into the doctor, listening as he rambled on about my condition.

"When can I leave?" I asked, cutting him off.

"Uh- Pardon?" He stuttered, confused by my sudden question.

"When can I leave?"

"Well, I'd like to see the results of these tests before deciding, but you should be okay in 1-2 days." And with that, he and the nurse began poking and prodding me relentlessly. I glared at the nurse when she poked especially hard before sighing. 1-2 days?

Kill me now.

* * *

**Natsume POV**

6 days. That was how long Mikan had been asleep and it was killing me. Everyone in 2B had visited at some point during the week at least once, though I'm sure Mikan would be annoyed if she found out. The steady beeping of the heart monitor was my only companion when I was alone in the room, as well as my only re-assurance that Mikan was not dead. If it wasn't for the irritating machine I would have thought the worse considering how still she laid, which was pretty much the only reason I tolerated it. Suddenly I saw something move in the corner of my eye and then a loud crack before the beeping stop. I glanced over in surprise and saw an arm hanging over the side of the bed that was slowly drawing itself back onto the bed.

"Ouch! That fucking hurts!" A voice cried from the bed and I couldn't help myself; I laughed. Mikan lifted her head slightly and glared at me, only to wince at the bright light that shone in her eyes, making me laugh again. "Ow. Bright light hurts." She opened her eyes again, this time more successful at glaring at me. I almost applauded, but she would have gotten mad, and I didn't want to end up like the heart monitor. She struggled a bit to sit up before asking me where she was.

"The hospital."

"Why?" I explained to her what had happened as well as informing her that she hadn't escaped my questioning. She rolled her eyes, obviously annoyed that I hadn't forgotten about that. When I told her how long she'd been in here she didn't seem surprised, which surprised me. Aren't people usually surprised when they find out they've been sleeping for 6 days?

"You don't seem surprised," I stated, voicing my thoughts out loud.

"I'm not. This happens occasionally." I gave her a questioning look. She 'occassionally' collapses and goes to hospital? What did she do in her free time?

"So this happens a lot?" She shrugged.

"Not really. If you don't count the times that I overuse my alice, then I suppose it happens every few months depending on how often I used my alice." Wait a minute. If we weren't counting alice over-use then what _were _we counting? Unless she had the same alice type as me- which I knew for a fact she didn't- then hospital trips shouldn't have been a regular thing for her, so why were they?

"Why else would this happen?" I asked her, gaining a sigh. She seemed to debate whether she'd tell me or not.

"Well, a while ago I copied this alice," she started. Was it just me or did she have hell of a lot of alices?

"And?"

"Shut up and let me finish," she glared at me and I smirked. Even with her current personality she was still so easy to make angry. She continued telling me about the alice she copied and how it practically made her alice unlimited, like mine.

"So when this happens you just pass out? No warning or anything?" I was hoping there was a way I could tell when she was going to collapse again so I could help her. It wouldn't be good if she just went around passing out randomly.

"Usually it'll happen after I use my alice. Sometimes I'll feel kind of sick or will get dizzy, but other than that it's pretty unpredictable." She explained and I nodded. At least that made things a little easier. Now I knew that she'd be fine when she wasn't using her alice. My only problem was that she used her alice a lot. Like _a lot _a lot. Troublesome girl. I was about to suggest she cut down on her use of her alice when the door slammed open and in flew… something. It flew to Mikan and gripped her in a hug of death. Now that I got a better look at it, I noticed it was a person, and that person was Narumi, which made me all the more irritated. He was facing me, but didn't seem to notice that I was there. He only noticed I was standing there when I lit a fireball close to his head. He paled and began sweating, instantly letting go of Mikan and hiding under the bed. I was tempted to burn him while he was under there but decided that it was a bad idea, instead choosing to let the flame dissipate. Just at that moment Mikan turned around to look at me suspiciously before turning back towards Narumi. She threatened to burn him so that he would come out before sighing in exasperation as he started rambling happily. When the door opened again Mikan looked relieved to see that it was a nurse.

"I'm afraid you will need to leave, we need to run some tests." The nurse told us and Narumi pouted but otherwise left quietly. I turned and began following him, but stopped at the door to glance back at her. I don't really know why I did, but I kind of wished she'd ask me to stay. Instead all I got was a confused look so I turned and left, disappointed. Although she was talking to me, it looked like she still hadn't forgiven me.

Damn.

* * *

**Soooo, how was it? I'm sorry if the part about Mikan's alice was confusing, but I couldn't think of a better way to explain it :( basically her alice is unlimited because of an alice that she has, which restores her power when it almost runs out.**

**Thanks for reading, **_**Reviews are appretiated**_** :)**


	6. Sweet Smiles

"Talking"**  
**_'Thinking'  
Flashback_

* * *

**From Kindness to Killer:  
Chapter 6: Sweet Smiles**

'_Oh no. Don't smile. You'll kill me. I stop breathing when you smile.'_

-oOo-

* * *

_I have a meeting to attend so free period, everyone :D_

I stared at the board decorated with flowers and hearts in irritated disbelief. It was my first day out of hospital, and despite how tempting my bed looked this morning, I came to school. I clenched my fist and scowled. I went through all the effort to get up this morning, and there wasn't even any point! Stupid Narumi! I stomped my way to my desk and practically through my bag down, immediately entering my bubble. I sat contently in my bubble, undisturbed. Obviously people had gotten the hint that I didn't want to be disturbed.

_Tug, tug._

Okay, maybe they hadn't. My eyebrows furrowed as I tried to ignore the incessant tugging on my shirt. Whoever it was wasn't going to be ignored, and instead increased the tugging.

_Tug, tug._

It's okay, Mikan; just ignore it.

_Tug, tug._

Ignore it…

_Tug._

My eye twitched.

_Tug, tug, tug, tug, tug!_

"What the hell do you want?" I growled, turning to face the assailant.

"Onee-chan!" I was surrounded by a pair of small arms, causing me to freeze. I was confused, and it was only after they let go that I realised what had happened.

"Youichi?" I stared at the silver-haired boy standing in front of me. He had grown taller since I'd last seen him, but he still looked like a child; he was only nine after all.

"Onee-chan, I missed you!" This time I was prepared for him, and when he hugged me for a second time I returned it.

"I missed you too, Yo-chan," I whispered so only he could hear. By now we had attracted the attention of the class who were gaping at us, well, me. This had to be the most emotion aside from anger that I'd shown since I'd returned, and it was obviously a shock to them. Youichi pulled away froom the hug, instead opting to sit on my lap.

"Why didn't you tell me you were back?" He pouted and I felt my lips tug into a miniscule smile.

"Sorry, sorry! Why don't I make it up to you?"

"Really?!"

"Yep! I'll take you to Central Town after school if you'd like." He nodded excitedly and I smiled slightly again before lifting him off my lap.

"Okay, now go back to class. You're too young to start skipping school," I chided, giving him a gentle shove in the direction of the door. He rolled his eyes before smiling.

"See you later, onee-chan," he called before leaving for his own class. Once he left, I turned back to the people staring and replaced my mask.

"Can I help you?" I growled, glaring. They shivered before quickly turning back to what they were doing. That was more like it. I didn't need them thinking I was getting soft or something.

* * *

**Central Town- After school**

I stared at the lively town that I hadn't seen for four years. It hadn't changed much, but I noticed that there were several new stores added. I felt a small hand grab mine and looked down to see Youichi tugging me along.

"So where do you want to go first?" I asked him as we trailed along. He looked around thoughtfully before pointing at a store with a long line in front of it. As we walked over, I did a mental cheer. I'd secretly been hoping for him to pick the one store that I'd missed dearly in my time away; the Howalon Store. The line seemed to move fairly quickly and soon we were at the counter. I bought three large boxes; one for Youichi, and two for me so I could take one home. We wandered for a while before finding some shade to sit in under a tree. We sat down and I quickly opened one of my boxes, shoving one of the fluffy, pink delicacies in my mouth. I sighed happily as it melted in my mouth before eating a second one. I honestly didn't know how something could be so delicious. They were like clouds from heaven that angels had created. When I'd gone to the training facility, there'd been nothing that was even remotely similar to the treats. It was just the simplest food they could offer; bread, vegetables, meat, fruit… I shuddered at the memory. They didn't even have ice cream there!

At the rate I was eating the Howalon, it wasn't long before I'd finished. As I waited patiently for Youichi to finish his box, I glanced around at our surroundings. Since we'd arrived, I hadn't been able to shake the feeling we were being watched. I spotted a tuft of pink hair sticking out from a bush and smirked as the tuft quickly disappeared. So _that's _who was following them.

"I'm finished now," Youichi said, drawing my attention back to him. He closed up the empty box before grabbing my hand and pulling me up.

"Where should we go now?" He led me to one store, and then another and another as we drifted through the town. We spent several hours looking at the interesting, alice-made paraphernalia before boarding the bus to take up back to the dorms.

"Thanks, Onee-chan," Youichi smiled before giving me a hug and heading back to his room. I turned and left for my own room, sighing tiredly once I'd gotten inside. The day had been fun, but keeping a constant watch on the group tailing us had tired me out. Although I knew they weren't a danger, my training hadn't allowed me to just ignore them. I'd ended up keeping a constant eye on them, which although not very difficult, was still annoying. I'd only been able to let my guard down when I revealed to them that I knew we were being followed.

_I watched as Youichi browse the shelves of the book store, before picking a manga out and sitting to let him read for a while, I exited the store and immediately became aware of eyes watching me once again. I looked over at the sign that was slowly moving closer before speaking._

"_You can come out now." The sign froze and a second later Anna and Nonoko popped out from behind it._

"_Oopsies," Anna smiled sheepishy._

"_Looks like we're caught," Nonoko finished, displaying the same expression as Anna. I didn't reply, and instead looked over at the corner of the building where I knew others were hiding. _

"_You too," I said and Yuu, Kitsune, Koko and Sumire revealed themselves. I then called the last two out, Imai hiding in another of her strange inventions, and Ruka and Hyuuga on the roof._

"_Is there a reason you've been following us all day?" I asked once they'd all been gathered. Majority of the group sighed at my words._

"_You mean you knew we were there the whole time?" Koko sighed dejectedly._

"_You guys suck at tailing," I simply stated. The looked disappointed before Imai spoke._

"_So I suppose you want to know why we were following you?"_

"_Nope," I replied and her purple eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I'd rather not know about your ridiculous plans; I'm sure you have more of them," I responded to her silent question. "Stop following us and leave, or I'll make you," I ordered the group. They looked at me fearfully before dispersing, leaving only my old childhood friend behind. I turned and began going back to Youichi, ready to ignore her._

"_Mikan." I stopped and turned back uninterestedly. _

"_What?"_

"_Don't think you have us fooled." My bored look turned into suspicion as my eyes narrowed._

"_Excuse me?" _

"_I know there's more to your new attitude then what happened 4 years ago, and I'm sure Hyuuga suspects something too." I glared at her, but her apathetic mask didn't budge._

"_I don't know what you're talking about, but I'd appreciate it if you'd leave me alone. It's the least you could do after what happened." With those words I turned and re-entered the book store. Aware of her gaze following me until I disappeared from her sight._

I sighed once again, flopping down on my couch. If Imai was starting to suspect, then it was only a matter of time until they found out the truth. I stood up and headed for the shower, hoping it would help me relax and forget about today's events. When they found out what happened, they're going to want answers.

Answers that I won't give.

* * *

**Natsume POV**

At first I'd thought it was a good idea when everyone had decided that they would follow Mikan today. Her trip to Central Town left the perfect opportunity for them to put the plan into action, so after school we also made the trip to the town. We watched as Youichi dragged Mikan to the Howlaon store and I almost laughed when ten minutes later, I saw her with three large boxes in her arms. So she still liked Howalon? As they ate, we watched and I growled when I noticed Anna's pink hair sticking out from the bush she was hiding in. Maybe if we were lucky, Mikan won't have noticed. Looks like it wasn't our lucky day, because it was made clear that she'd seen us once she'd exited the bookshop alone and began to point out where we were hiding.

I rolled my eyes as the twins revealed themselves from their pathetic hiding spot. She continued to reveal where each of us was hiding, and I was a little irritated that she'd been able to find where I was hiding.

"Why have you been following us all day?" She asked and I was surprised. How had she realised we were following her since the start? She couldn't have found us so quickly… Could she? I found myself questioning my previous thoughts. It was obvious that Mikan had gotten a lot more observant than before. She was also better at fighting and handled missions with ease. We'd already done several since her return, and she'd handled herself fine. Obviously she'd been training while she was away, but was it possible? Could she really be better than me…? I was drawn from my thoughts as she once again spoke.

"Now leave, or I'll make you leave." The group quickly left, but I realised that Hotaru had stayed behind. I made it look as if I was leaving with the rest, but instead ducked behind a building and listened in on their conversation.

Hotaru had revealed to Mikan that she knew something was going on with her, and Mikan had just walked away. No, she didn't simply walked away; she retreated. Brave, unshakeable Mikan Sakura, had panicked and run away, and I couldn't believe it….

Well maybe I could.

I'd been suspecting for a while that there was something more to Mikan's change, and this only served to strengthen my suspicion. She'd hidden it well, but there was no way that she was going to fool me, I knew- no, I _know_ her too well for that. Soon after, Hotaru left. I slinked back into the shadows as she past, but I had the feeling that she'd known I was standing there from the beginning. Once she left, I turned back to the bookstore Mikan had disappeared into. Just then, bother Mikan and Youichi exited the store. I watched as they walked away, my breath hitching in my throat. As Mikan had turned the corner I'd gotten a glimpse of her face.

_Mikan was smiling._

And it wasn't a small smile; it was a smile that only the old Mikan would show. One of the smiles that, when she showed them, would light up the room. I smirked as she disappeared from my sight, but it quickly turned into a smile. There was my proof; the old Mikan was still there. She only need some help coming back. I stepped out from my hiding place and began walking back to the bus stop, where the rest of the gang was waiting. From the way Hotaru was watching me, I could tell that she knew that I knew something, but I simply ignored it. I didn't need her cold calculations to ruin my good mood. Well maybe that was a little mean. It was obvious that she cared about Mikan just as much as I did. But it had been too long since I'd last seen one of Mikan's smiles, and I revelled in the temporary euphoria that the long forgotten smile had brought me.

Once we got back to the dormitories, we began walking to our rooms.

"Well that was pretty much useless," Sumire sighed.

"How did she manage to find us so quickly?" Nonoko sighed.

"Maybe she's a robot?" Kitsune suggested stupidly, causing us to roll our eyes.

"Or maybe it had something to do with the tuft of pink hair that was sticking out from a bush?" Nonoko added playfully. Anna blushed in embarrassment, before waving her hands in denial.

"Hey, that wasn't my fault! My hair got stuck on a branch!" We laughed at her protests before Koko spoke.

"Well, at least it wasn't _totally_ pointless." Everyone shot him looks of curiousity and he grinned. "At least we know she still loves Howalon!" We groaned and Koko's face fell. "What?" Sighing, Sumeri went and smacked Koko on the head. "What was that for?" He cried indignantly.

"For being an idiot." I watched as Koko cradled his head and pouted, smirking at his pathetic state. Maybe Koko had a point. At least we got to see that there were still things that were the same about Mikan, and there was no way that, that smile belonged to the new Mikan. It showed that there was still a chance to get the old Mikan back, and as long as there was a chance I would try.

"I won't give up on you Mikan…"

* * *

**Tadaaaaaa! So how was it? I've decided to use time skips (except for flash backs which are in _italics_) to try and make it less confusing :)  
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, because I had fun writing it! :D **

**I'd like to thank my new beta **_**kaitlynchosenisme**_**! She is awesome, just like everyone who reviews, favourites and follows! Thanks for reading over this chapter and giving me some tips. I hope it's better now :)**

**Thanks for reading, please leave a review :D**


	7. My Secret

"Talking"**  
**_'Thinking'  
Flashback_

* * *

**From Kindness to Killer:  
Chapter 7: My Secret**

'_There are no secrets that time does not reveal.'_

-oOo-

* * *

_I sat in the corner of the small cell, staring blankly at the wall. As the sound of footsteps resounded throughout the room, I pressed my back into the wall, hoping that somehow it would draw me in. The sound of footsteps could only mean one thing; it was time. I watched as a large, built man unlocked the cell and walked towards me. He roughly grabbed me and pulled me up, before leading me down the same hallway I'd been dragged down for the past few weeks. Or maybe it was months? I wasn't really sure anymore. My sense of time had been distorted, and the lack of windows in my cell meant that I didn't even know if it was light or dark out. All I knew that it felt like years since I'd been captured by the organisation. I was stopped in front of the door and was led into the all too familiar room where the bane of my existence was standing. _

"_Nice to see you've returned," the man greeted. I simply whimpered as I was strapped to the cold metal table. I used to fight them; scream and lash out until they'd work out a way to calm me down. Usually they used drugs; sometimes they used violence. I can't remember when I stopped fighting them. I just woke up one day and realised it was futile. That there was no way I'd be leaving. No way I'd be rescued. _

_The man smiled down at me, seemingly innocent, but I knew better. That smile wasn't one of kindness but of sick joy and excitement. He pulled out the blade as he always did and stepped forward, his manic grin widening with each step he took. When he reached me I closed my eyes and braced myself for the pain that would come. A scream ripped through my throat as the blade sliced through my skin. I no longer had the strength to hold it in as I once did when I first arrived in this hell. The scars lining my body were only reminders that this was all real, despite how hard I tried to convince myself this was all just a bad nightmare. The man continued to carve into my skin, and I could feel the blood leaking out from the wounds. The wounds were never too deep. With the conditions I was living in and the small amounts of food I was receiving, I was already weak, and they didn't want to risk me dying. No, that would be too easy. _They_ took pleasure in my extended pain. This was why the man- whose name I still hadn't learned- made sure that he tortured me in the most painful ways. _

_The knife was only one of many ways he inflicted pain on me. Batons, whips, fire… The list was endless. Sometimes they even brought in various alice users. Pain inducement seemed to be the most popular, but sometimes _they_ brought in a dream manipulator to give me horrible nightmares. Dreams of my parents, my old friends, grandpa; all dying in horrible ways. Sometimes I'd tried to steal their alices, but I was quickly discovered and fitted with enough alice controllers to render me unable to use my alices at all._

_After what had felt like hours of the torture I was release from the table and sent back to my room. The guard dumped me in my cell before disappearing, leaving me to lie in the dirt while the blood seeped from my cuts. I crawled over to my bed and slumped down onto the moth eaten mattress. _

"_Honey?" A soft voice called from outside my cell. I looked up at the door to my cell and spotted the one person in this god forsaken place that I didn't despise._

"_Mother…"_

My eyes snapped open and I found myself staring at the digital clock on my bedside table.

2:37am.

I sat up in bed and tried to calm my ragged breathing while drying my eyes. It seems that I'd started crying sometime during the dream. Not that that was uncommon when I had dreams of _that place_; especially containing _her_. It was the first one I'd had in almost a week, and as always, I knew that I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. Instead of lying back down, I stood up and walked over to my wardrobe. I grabbed some running gear and got changed, hoping that a run would help get my mind off of the dream. I knew that if I didn't distract myself I would end up thinking about what I saw, and I didn't want that.

I ran for I don't know how long, lapping the dorms almost seven times. Looking at the time on my iPod, I saw that I'd been running for almost 2 hours, and I decided that this would be my final lap. I sped up and pushed myself as hard as I could so I could finish off with a bang. Once I finished the lap I began to feel the effects of straining my body set in. My lungs were burning and my legs felt like jelly. Looking for somewhere I could sit and rest, I spotted a large sakura tree and quickly walked over to it, planting myself at the base. While I was regaining my energy I sensed someone coming up behind me.

"Polka," the person greeted.

"Hyuuga," I returned, a lot less polite. My morning had already started off badly and I wasn't in the mood to fight with him. He ignored my tone and sat down beside me. "What do you want, Hyuuga?" I sighed tiredly.

"To talk."

"Aren't we already talking? Or do you not know the definition of talking?" I replied, faking innocence.

"Talk: to speak in order to give information or express ideas or feelings; converse or communicate by spoken words." I rolled my eyes as he gave me a dictionary definition of the word.

"Ha ha, you're just a comedic genius," I replied, sarcasm lacing my tone.

"I know," he smirked before turning serious. "What are you doing out here?"

"I went for a run. I usually do when I wake up."

"At 3am?" I managed to hide a wince at his unconvinced tone.

"Why not?" I could see that he wasn't buying my act, but that didn't mean I was about to give in.

"Polka, I'm being serious."

"So am I." I saw him tense and knew that he'd reached the end of his patience.

"Why are you being so difficult?" He snapped and I avoided his eyes.

"Difficult? I don't know what you're talking about?" I faked nonchalance.

"Why won't you talk to me?" He stood and turned to me, almost yelling. Seeing as my 'pretend to know nothing' strategy wasn't working, I gave up. He wanted me to talk? Fine, I would.

"Why should I? Look what happened the last time I trusted you!" I stood and matched his glare with one of my own. He faltered slightly at my words, but didn't give in.

"I made a mistake, Mikan! Everyone does!"

"A _mistake_? A mistake is when you forget to bring your homework to school. A mistake is when you forget where you placed your keys. A mistake is _not _when you betray your friend just because she had a secret!" I yelled furiously. "I had a secret Natsume. _Everyone does_," I mimicked in the coldest voice I could muster. His eyes widened and he visibly winced.

"Mikan, I know that we hurt you, and I can't apologise enough for that, but I can't believe that what happened four years ago is the only reason for _this_." He said gesturing to me. His apology sounded genuine and I almost gave in, but I couldn't.

"You're right; an apology won't fix it," I replied, trying to change the subject.

"Mikan!" He growled in frustration, running his hands through his hair. "Why are you like this?" He asked quietly. The way he said it sounded so… Sad. Like me not telling him anything was killing him. I gripped my hands into fists, digging my nails into my palms. Why wouldn't he stop? If he continued like this then I might give in.

"Why…?"

"What?" He asked, looking at me curiously.

"Why won't you stop?" I repeated louder, though it was still only a whisper.

"Mikan…?"

"Why must you always know everything? Why couldn't you just leave it alone?!" I knew my hands were starting to shake, but I couldn't stop them.

"Mikan, what are you talking about?" Natsume asked, stepping closer.

"You always thought you were the only one with a terrible life, Natsume! Poor little Natsume, forced to do missions for the Academy! Poor little Natsume who used his alice even though it could kill him!" I mocked and he flinched. I knew I'd hit a sore spot, but I didn't care. "I _wish _my alice was the type that killed! Do you know what it's like to feel so much pain that you just wish you'd die? No, you don't, because poor little Natsume's not as pitiable as he makes himself out to be!" I was ranting now, and I probably looked hysterical to him.

"What happened to you?" Natsume asked, taking my shaking hands into his own. As his grip tightened I felt tears start to well up and I broke down.

"It hurt so much!" I cried sinking to the ground. I curled up into the fetal position and gripped my head as if protecting myself from some unseen force. I suppose I was in a sense- protecting myself from my memories, that is. I felt Natsume kneel down beside me and grip me in a sort of weird side-hug. I turned and wrapped my arms around him, burying my head in his chest. We sat like that for a while, Natsume comforting me while I cried. Eventually the tears died down, and when they did I pulled away and wiped my eyes. I moved back to my previous position against the tree and Natsume did the same. We sat silently and I was glad that Natsume hadn't continued to push me for answers. When I'd finally collected myself I hugged my knees to my chest and began to speak.

"It was a little more than a year after I left. I'd finished my basic training and was being allowed on missions. There was one mission where a small group of us were to infiltrate an AAO base and rescue two children who were being held there.

At first the mission went smoothly, and we managed to find the kids. It was only when we started to leave that things started to go downhill. It turned out that they knew we were coming, and were waiting to ambush us. There were hundreds and hundreds of guards, but we still fought. Eventually we managed to escape with the kids. We ran into the surrounding forest, all of us going in different directions. I ran as fast as I could, and I'd almost gotten away when I tripped. I hadn't noticed the branch sticking up from the ground. How could I have? It was pitch black outside. I tried to keep running, but I'd hurt my ankle, and so; I was caught." Natsume stared at me wide eyed. Everyone who did missions knew that the worst thing you could ever do was get captured by the AAO.

"…Did you escape?" He asked, though he already knew the answer. I shook my head and laughed bitterly.

"I wish that was the case. At first they tried to convince me to join them, that I would be a 'valuable asset' to them. Of course I said no. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I said yes, but I'd probably still be stuck there if I did. Once they realised that I wouldn't be joining them, they started the torture. At first I fought them. Even if it never worked, I still felt like I'd accomplished something. Like I'd shown them that I was never going to be just another pawn in their game. After that they'd tried even harder. Instead of beating me or whipping me like they used to, they started tying me down so I couldn't do anything. That's when they brought _him _in. At first they'd just send in anyone they could find to hurt me, but this guy was different. Somehow he knew exactly where it hurt the most. There were so many things he did, but I think his favourite was the knife. If it wasn't for an alice, I'd have hundreds of scars. I was scared, but I somehow still had hope that through some miracle I'd escape.

I think that they'd made it into some kind of a game. '_Let's see who can make the prisoner break first!_' Then they brought in alice users; they did horrible things. One time they even deprived me of all my senses. Let me tell you; it's terrible not to feel _anything_. I couldn't see, I couldn't hear, I couldn't even smell anything."

"Why didn't you try to steal their alices?" Natsume asked once I paused. I knew he didn't mean to offend me when he asked, but I couldn't help but feel a little irritated by his question.

"You don't think I tried?" I snapped.

"I didn't mean-"

"I know," I sighed interrupting. "It's just that I tried _everything_! No matter what I did they managed to counter it. I started to steal their alices, but they quickly realised what was happening. I was fitted with so many control devices that I couldn't use even the smallest amount of my alice. Do you want to know what the worst part was?" He raised his eyebrow in reply.

"They never killed me. They always made sure that I was just enough unharmed to make sure I wouldn't die. I wished so, so often that they would just kill me!" Natsume pulled me into another hug, though this one didn't last nearly as long as the other one.

"I suppose it wasn't all bad." I said once I'd calmed down again. "I did get to meet my mother after all."

"Wasn't she supposed to be…?" Natsume asked, wide eyed.

"Dead? Yeah, that's what I thought, too. She just showed up at my cell one day, claiming to be my mother. Of course I was suspicious at first. After all, when the mother you've thought of as dead for the last 14 years suddenly appears, you'd question it too. But then she started telling me things, things that only my mother would know. I didn't want to believe her. I thought she was just trying to gain my trust for some reason, but then she brought photos. Pictures of her, my dad and me. I started to believe her, and we started to grow closer. She'd visit me as often as she could, and she'd try to heal some of my wounds. Although there was only so much she could heal until someone would start noticing."

"How did you know you could trust her? I mean I know there were photos, but what if she'd made it all up or something?" Natsume asked me the same question that I'd asked myself at that time.

"I don't really know, to be honest. I just felt like I knew her and that I could trust her. Maybe I remembered her from when I was little, or maybe it was just intuition? All I know is that I'm glad I decided to trust her. We started to create a plan on how to escape. She wanted to come with me. Apparently it's almost impossible to leave the organisation once you've joined. We decided that we'd go after my… 'Session' one day. She snuck me out of my cell, and we almost made it out. We were so close! We reached the edge of the forest when my mother fell. At first I thought that she'd tripped, just like I had when I'd tried to escape, but then I noticed the blood, and realised my mother had been shot. At first I didn't think it was true- I hadn't heard a gun- yet there she was, lying with a bullet hole in her chest.

I tried to do something- to stop the bleeding. I'd only just found my mother, yet she was going to leave me again? I couldn't accept it; but I had to. When I realised that there were guards coming after me, I ran. I ran and ran until I couldn't run anymore. That was when people from the academy arrived. They'd sensed where I was and had come as fast as they could. I was taken back to the facility then. Apparently I slept for a week. When I woke up I was told that they'd raided the AAO hide out. They hadn't found my mother body- apparently it had been caught in the flames when they'd blown up the building. After that, I threw myself into training. I'd been missing for seven months. They'd looked for me, but the AAO had moved their base as soon as I'd been captured. Whenever the academy thought they'd found something, the AAO base had already left.

I took about a month to rebuild my condition, and then I started doing missions again. I took as many as they would allow me. I killed and killed, leaving no AAO member alive, but it still wasn't enough. I thought getting revenge would help, but it did nothing. It didn't bring her back. It was around this time that my uncle and my dad's old friend visited me. I'd become cruel and anti-social, and my instructor had gotten sick of it, so he called them. I hadn't treated them any better than I'd treated everyone else. At the time I hadn't expected them to blow up at me. Sure I'd been yelled at by instructor plenty of times for my terrible attitude, but I'd never once been yelled at by my uncle or Shiki. I suppose it was kind of a shock therapy. They spent almost an hour telling me how bad I was being and that I wasn't helping anything by acting like a selfish brat. Then after berating me for so long, they suddenly decided that we were going to hold a funeral- just the three of us- for my mother. They took me to where her grave was and we held a miniature funeral. Obviously it helped because at the end I started crying for the first time since I'd been held captive by the organisation. I don't know where I'd be without those two." I finished, smiling slightly. Natsume stayed silent for a while, probably processing the overload of information I'd just given him.

"So…" He started after a while. "Your uncle had never yelled at you before that?" I rolled my eyes. Of course. Only he would ask a question like that after all that I've told him! Despite the stupidity of it, I still answered.

"Nope, never."

"Ever?"

"Ever."

"I can't believe that. I always pictured you as the girl who always got caught with her hand in the cookie jar…" I rolled my eyes again.

"Seriously? Is that how you pictured me? I'm way too awesome to actually get caught doing that. Besides, I lived with my grandpa back then, so he would've been the one to yell at me, not my uncle."

"So you admit you did steal cookies?" I shook my head and sighed exasperatedly before smiling slightly. "So you feel better now?" he asked. My eyes widened once I realised what he'd been doing.

"You… You were trying to distract me…?" He smirked.

"And it looks like I was successful."

"But… Why?"

"I didn't want you to start crying again," he smirked and stood. "Despite what you may think, I'm not a totally bad guy." He said before starting to walk away. I watched him walk before he stopped and turned back. "By the way…"

"What?"

"I'm here, Polka. Don't forget that." He turned back around and continued walking. I watched with wide eyes as he disappeared around a corner. Wh-What was that all about?! I shook my head and stood, heading back to my room. I'd admit that I felt better after talking with Natsume, but I was still reluctant to trust him. Although he was right when he said that what happened four years ago wasn't the only thing responsible for my change in attitude, he still hurt me, and I wasn't sure that I was willing to risk that happening again. I'd been hurt too much in my life, and I honestly wasn't sure that it was worth trusting people again.

* * *

**Natsume POV**

As I walked away from Mikan my thoughts were racing. When I'd first suspected that there was more to Mikan's story than she was letting on, I hadn't expected that it would be something as bad as this. When I tried to distract her, it was mainly so she wouldn't start crying again, but I was also trying to distract myself. When she'd told me about what they did to her it took all of my will power not to go and punch something. I was so angry when I heard that they'd hurt her like that. I wanted to hide her away from the rest of the world and protect her from everything.

"_Good morning, Natsume!"_

I froze when a memory of the old Mikan flashed through my mind, before letting out a bitter laugh. Who was I to talk about protecting her? I was part of the reason she was even like this in the first place!

"_Ne Natsume, you'll always be my friend, right?"_

I resisted the urge to bang my head against a wall.

"I," I paused. "…Am a terrible person."

"A moment of self-loathing, Hyuuga?" A voice cut in, interrupting my thoughts. I looked behind me and saw Hotaru standing there.

"Imai," I said in greeting.

"So you know what's going on with Mikan?" She asked and I nodded. "And I don't suppose I could blackmail it out of you?"

"No, this is something she needs to tell you on her own," I replied and she sighed.

"I predicted as much." We stayed silent for a while before I spoke.

"I don't think it will be that hard to get her to talk to you. I think she misses her best friend," I said before leaving for my room. Hopefully Hotaru would try to speak to Mikan. I think a friend is what Mikan needs the most right now...

* * *

**So how was it? I'm sorry it's a day late but I was pretty busy on the weekend so I didn't have time to write this chapter until yesterday :)  
I hope it was good! I know Natsume's part wasn't long but this chapter was more about Mikan, so I don't think that really matters.**

**Thanks to every one who reviewed, favourited and followed! And thanks to my amazingly awesome beta! **

**Please leave a review! ;D**


	8. Fear

"Talking"**  
**_'Thinking'_

* * *

**From Kindness to Killer:  
Chapter 8: Fear**

'_Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself.'_

-oOo-

* * *

I surfed through the channels on TV, pressing the button so often that it was likely to break sometime soon.

I was _bored_.

After talking with Natsume the other day, I felt better. Almost like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. However, I still wasn't willing to forgive everybody; at least not until they properly apologised. I didn't feel like I should've had to make the effort to fix something they caused. Too bad this meant that I had no social life, because even if someone asked me to go to the International Festival of Perkiness, despite my hatred of perky people, I would have gone.

_**Beep!**_

I shot up from my slouched position on the couch and dived dramatically for my phone; entertainment! Unlocking the screen, I realised that I'd received a text from Persona.

To: Mikan Sakura  
From: Persona

_Northern Forest 7:00pm_

Well, Persona wasn't the best person in the world to hang out with, but he was better than nothing. I glanced at the clock and saw that there was about 20 minutes until the meeting time. I changed into my usual tank top and shorts, and grabbed my mask before heading towards my destination. Seeing as I still had some time left, I opted for walking there instead of taking the usual tree-top route. I reached the clearing just on time, only to hear Persona's usual nagging.

"You're late."

"And I keep telling you; you're early." He glared at me and threw a folder at me. I caught it easily and flipped it open, scanning the contents. It was a pretty simple mission, just recovering a file on several students at the Academy.

"Hell's Angel," a familiar fire-boy greeted as they took a second folder from Persona.

"You're late," Persona said, repeating the same thing he had when I arrived.

"Seriously? Do you just say that to everyone; late or not?" I asked in exasperation. He gave me a blank look in return and I realised that yes, he probably did.

"Kuro Neko," I returned once he'd taken his folder from Persona. Natsume looked up in surprise at my response. It was understandable since before then, I'd never given him a civil response whenever he'd greeted me. "Hello?" I called, waving my hand in front of his face. This seemed to gain a response out of him and he averted his gaze.

"You have until midnight," Persona said before disappearing. I looked to Natsume and he nodded. We both began heading towards our mission location via tree-top, as per usual.

* * *

**10:00pm Anti Alice Organisation base –Outside-**

We hid in the bushes as Natsume waited for me to finish calculating how many guards there were. Since our first mission, there'd been an unspoken agreement where I would scan the building and find out the number of guards, while Natsume would lead us inside.

"There's 12 guards outside and around 40 inside." He nodded before we both leapt out of the trees and began taking down the few guards outside. After all the guards were knocked out we headed towards the warehouse's one door.

"Lasers," Natsume stated as we stared at the moving red beams. I looked around before spotting a small box hidden in the grass beside the wall of the building. I made my way over to it and kneeled down, placing my hand on the box. The box sparked and a small puff of smoke filtered out from between the cracks. I went back to Natsume and smirked at his confused stare.

"Technology manipulation alice. The lasers should be deactivated now." He nodded in understanding before we both entered the warehouse. As we moved silently through the warehouse, I couldn't help feeling like something was off. "Natsume, doesn't this feel a little…" I trailed off as he cut in.

"A little too easy? I was just thinking the same." We paused as we came up to a large door and glanced at each other. He waited while I disabled the electronic lock, only moving when a soft 'click' was heard. I slid the door open slightly and glanced inside; nothing. This was definitely suspicious. There was no way that they would make it this easy for us. "We may as well go in. We'll just have to be extra careful." I slid the door open even further and stepped through, Natsume following close behind.

_**Bam!**_

I swore as I turned quickly and saw that the door we had just walked through was now locked shut, and two guards were standing in front of it. I turned back around and saw that we were now surrounded by hundreds of guards. We'd taken out the fifty guards I'd seen on the way here, so there was no way these guys could be them. How could I have missed so many guards? Unless…

"Barrier alice…" I mumbled aloud unconsciously.

"Very good! I wouldn't expect any less from _the _Hell's Angel." I whipped my head around and saw someone who made Persona look like an angel.

"Deimos," I hissed, glaring coldly at the man's black hair and eyes. He met my glare with a grin that bordered on psychopathic.

"I'm glad to see you, Mikan-chan!"

"Yeah, well I'd only be glad to see you if it was in a morgue. With you as a corpse of course."

"Ah, always such a delightful sense of humour." He sighed happily, his grin widening. I narrowed my eyes as he stepped closer. "Well, as nice as this reunion was, I'm afraid I'm going to have to capture you now."

"As if I'd let that happen!"

"You act as if you have a choice," he smiled at me as if I were a young child who didn't understand something simple, making my blood boil. "Get them." He stepped back as the guards moved closer and I looked over to Natsume.

"Looks like we're going to have to fight our way out of this," Natsume said as we moved to stand back-to-back.

"We can't use our alices; there's a barrier." He nodded.

"Yeah, I noticed that."

"Well, what are we going to do?" He turned slightly and smirked at me.

"Isn't it obvious? We fight." I sighed at his simple response before matching his smirk.

"Well, if that's the case then I bet I can take out more guards than you."

"And I bet that you can't."

"We'll just have to find out then." With those words we attacked the guards, taking out as many as we could with just our bare hands. I kept punching and kicking for what felt like forever, but was probably no more than a few minutes. Whenever I blocked one punch, another one came, then a kick and another fist; there was no end. Very soon, I found myself breathing heavily. There was no end to the guards and eventually I found myself being overpowered. I felt rather someone grab me from behind and trap my arms. I struggled as hard as I could but their grip only got tighter.

"Let me go!" I screamed. As I was being carried away, my eyes met with Natsume's. His ruby orbs seemed panicked as he tried to fight his way towards me. While Natsume was distracted, one of the guards came up behind him, a knife in hand. I watched in horror as the guard brought the knife up above an unsuspecting Natsume. My scream resonated throughout the air as the blade was brought down.

"Natsume!" I watched in horror as Natsume slumped forward and blood pooled around me. With new-found strength, I tore my arms from the guards grip before turning and knocking him out. I activated my plant manipulation alice and ordered vines to wrap around several of the guards, holding them in place. Others I froze, burnt, electrocuted, trapped- it didn't really matter anymore. All I could see was Natsume's body lying motionless on the ground. Eventually I realised that there were no more guards coming to attack me, so I rushed forward and dropped onto the ground beside Natsume. I checked his pulse and found that it was shallow; the same was with his breathing. I ripped a piece of cloth from the bottom of my tank top and used it to apply pressure to the wound. It seemed useless, because whenever I pressed, more blood just came out.

"Come on Natsume, you can't die on me!" I cried as I continued panicking. I'd already lost one person to the AAO; I wasn't about to lose another. Checking his pulse once again I realised that it had gotten even weaker.

"Heh, I haven't seen you so frantic for ages, Polka," a weak voice rasped. I looked down to meet an all too familiar smirk.

"Don't talk, you'll only make it worse," I scolded, worried. After using my alice so much with a barrier still up, I was worn out, and I didn't have the energy to heal him.

"What's it matter? I won't last much longer anyway."

"Don't say that! You'll be fine. You're okay." I felt tears well up and start falling.

"You're crying," he frowned, reaching up and brushing a few tears away. I could see he was getting paler and paler.

"You're dying," I replied and he smirked. I gave a watery smile in return.

"Still the same as ever I see-" He was cut off as coughs racked his body. When he pulled his hand away, it was covered in blood. My eyes widened at the sight and the tears increased.

"No…" I whispered.

"Sorry, Polka. I don't think I've got much longer…" He coughed again.

"Stop it! Don't speak like that!"

"I'm sorry, I lied. I said I'd always be there for you, but it looks like I won't be able to keep that promise." He smiled, not a smirk, but a real, actual smile. "I love you, Mikan." I could only watch in shock as he leaned up and pressed his lips to mine. The kiss lasted only a few seconds and when he pulled away his eyes were closed and I couldn't see the slight movement of his chest anymore.

"…Natsume?" I called weakly. There was no reply. "Natsume?" I tried again louder. Again, there was no reply. I grabbed his wrist and tried for a pulse but found none. "No!" More tears spilled as I shook him, willing him to wake up. "Come on, Natsume! You can't die! You- you can't!" Sobs racked my body as I realised that he wasn't going to wake up. My vision was blurry from the tears, and I was finding it hard to breath, but I still stood and turned to face the person who had caused this.

"Deimos," I barely recognised my own voice which was laced in more hatred than I had ever felt before.

"Yes?" There was the maniac grin that I'd seen too often. He was the kind of person that took pleasure in other people's pain, and who went to extreme measures to inflict as much hurt on them as possible. This person could not be called human. This person did not deserve to live.

"I'll kill you."

* * *

**Natsume POV**

_I was floating through the darkness, all control of my body lost. Where was I? I couldn't see or hear anything, and I couldn't distinguish up from down or left from right. After floating aimlessly for a while, I heard a voice echo._

"…Deimos…"_ Was that Mikan? She_ must've been talking to that smiling bastard.

"…I'll kill you…"_ Was going to kill him? But she was Mikan, she wouldn't hurt a fly… Wait, yes she would. She'd changed. This was the other Mikan; the dark one. Where was my Mikan?_

_Mikan..._

_Suddenly I a small light appeared in the distance. Slowly the light drew closer and I was enveloped in a bright, white light. The feeling it brought with it could only be described as _warmth_ and I couldn't help but realise that the feeling was familiar. This was the feeling that my sun brought;_

_It was _my _Mikan.  
_

* * *

**Soooo~ how was it? :D The name Deimos means fear, hence the name of this chapter. I know that Natsume's part was really short but… Well… Okay, so there's no real excuse; it's just short. **

**Please leave a review! Considering the amount of views this story gets, it's sad to see that I only have an average of 5 reviews a chapter :(**


	9. Phobos

"Talking"**  
**_'Thinking'_

* * *

**From Kindness to Killer:  
Chapter 9: Phobos**

''_The basis of optimism is sheer terror.'_

-oOo-

* * *

_Blood._

I stared down at the lifeless corpse before me, grinning maniacally. The red liquid leaked from the hundreds of cuts on the man's body, puddling beneath him in gruesomely beautiful crimson flowers. Deimos was gone now –dead- and I could only hope that he would spend eternity in hell for what he did to me, to my mother, to Natsume…

Oh my god, Natsume! I snapped out of my crazed state and scrambled over to him. He was even paler than before and I had to choke back a sob as I looked at him. Natsume couldn't be dead- he told me he'd be there for me. As the tears began flowing for the umpteenth time, I placed my hands over his chest and focused. This was my last hope; if it didn't work then… I shook my head before closing my eyes and activating my alice. A golden light shone from my hands, growing brighter and brighter as I poured all of my energy into healing Natsume. As my energy flowed into his body, I felt it leaving mine. Suddenly the bruises and cuts that I had acquired hurt ten times as much, and I was painfully aware of the large gash decorating my thigh. After continuing for several minutes, my breathing became laboured and I was very dizzy. As I felt the last of my energy leave me I slumped over, landing on Natsume's chest. I laid like that for several minutes before the sound of footsteps echoed throughout the large warehouse. I stood, swaying unsteadily, and prepared myself for a fight; no one would touch Natsume. A group of about 20 appeared through the building's door and fanned out, several rushing over to us. I didn't register their words and immediately threw a punch at the first man, knocking him out.

"Miss, please calm down, we're here to help!" One called, but again I paid no attention. These people were trying to touch Natsume: they had to be eliminated. I threw another punch, then another and another, but my movements were slow and lethargic, and soon someone had grabbed me from behind and restrained me. With a brief sense of déjà vu I began kicking and screaming. The last time someone had caught me from behind, Natsume had gotten stabbed.

"Let me go!" I screamed, struggling furiously. "Natsume!" I saw two people move towards Natsume and bend down to pick him up. "No! Don't touch him!" I tried to activate one of my many alices, but I was completely out of energy. My struggling soon ended as I realized just how tired I was. Black spots danced across my vision as I willed myself to stay awake. The effort was useless because I soon found myself succumbing to the darkness.

Natsume…!

_Beep…! Beep…! Beep…!_

For the second time this month I found myself irritated by the beeping of a heart monitor. Sadly though, I couldn't smash this one to pieces, since it was actually necessary. I shifted my gaze from the machine to the bed beside it. Natsume was still, a breathing mask covering his face, and I couldn't help but notice how his raven locks stood out against the white pillow they were splayed out upon. I sighed as I changed positions in my uncomfortable hospital chair. How had Natsume managed to sit in this thing for a week straight? I'd been here for three days and my butt was numb. Giving up on the chair, I stood and began pacing.

Three days ago I'd woken up in my own hospital bed to the worried face of my uncle, Shiki and Narumi-sensei. I'd passed out because of alice overuse and had remained unconscious for two days. According to my uncle, Natsume and I had been rescued by agents from the Academy (5 whom I knock out in my hysterical state) and brought straight to the hospital. The mission was successful with the file now in Academy possession. Deimos was found dead along with all of the guards, and the AAO base had been destroyed.

Almost immediately after waking I had insisted I was fine and (despite the protests) had discharged myself from the hospital. Since then I'd been waiting for Natsume to wake up in this boringly bland room. Was it so hard to provide a comfy chair and a magazine? …And maybe a Sharpie; these plain walls were just asking to be drawn on!

_Beep…! Beep..! Beep!_

I stopped my pacing and whipped my head towards the heart monitor. The lines had started moving in a different pattern to the one I'd been watching for the last few days which could only mean two things; 1: Natsume was dead or 2: he was waking up. Considering that the line was still pulsing and wasn't flat, I was almost positive it was the later. A soft groan confirmed my thoughts and I dashed over to the bed.

"Natsume…?"

"Will someone shut that damn thing off?" A hoarse voice asked. I smiled as a pair of familiar eyes was revealed.

"Now you understand why I bashed my heart monitor in," I joked. "The nurses still give me glares whenever I walk past." He smirked at that before struggling to sit up. Being the generous person I was, I watched in amusement for a while before pointing to the buttons beside his bed.

"What?" He growled.

"You know you could just press those, right?" I stared at the spot I was pointing to before turning back to glare at me.

"Of course I knew." I smirked as he reached over and pressed one of the buttons with a picture of the bed on it. A soft humming filled the room as the top half of the bed raised slowly, stopping once Natsume released the button.

"Easier?"

"Shut up." I chuckled slightly before plopping down into my chair. "How long?"

"3 days. I'm glad you're awake."

"Miss me?" He smirked.

"No. Do you realise how uncomfortable this chair is? Not to mention how terrible hospital food is! I had to bribe a nurse to go out and buy me something from Central Town." I pouted and his smirk fell.

"Only you polka," he sighed, shaking his head.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" I cried, indignant; he simply smirked. "Mou, Natsume!" His smirk fell and he stared at me with wide eyes.

"You called me Natsume…" I blinked several times before replying.

"Well aren't you slow? This is like what, the third or fourth day?" He shook his head again before grinning. "Anyway, now that you're awake I'm going to go grab some food from the nurse I bribed. She should have bought it by now… If you're nice then I'll share with you." I poked my tongue out teasingly before standing and leaving. "See you, Natsume."

* * *

**Natsume POV**

My smile widened as the door click shut; Mikan was calling me Natsume. Resisting the urge to get up and dance, I relaxed into the pillows and waited for Mikan to return. A few minutes later the door swung open. I sat up, expecting to see Mikan, and was met with the sight of a very ugly teacher.

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" I growled.

"Mou! Don't be so mean! I came _all _this way to see my precious student and this is how you repay me?!" Narumi cried dramatically.

"You act like I like you." He looked at me with moist eyes.

"You mean… You don't like me?" His eyes glittered as he pouted.

"Narumi?" He nodded. "Go away."

"Waa! Natsume's being a meany!" He sat in the corner with a dark cloud hanging over his head. I rolled my eyes at his childish antics and sighed.

"Is there a reason you came here?" The gloomy aura dissipated and suddenly he was back in the chair with a serious look on his face. Sensing the sudden change in the atmosphere I raised an eyebrow.

"Do you know what happened during the mission?" He started. I frowned as I tried to recall what happened.

"I remember that we were ambushed. There were hundreds of guards waiting for us and there was this one guy, Deimos. Mikan seemed to know him. I think he had something to do with her time in the AAO…" Narumi nodded.

"You're right. His full name was Nigel Phere, though he was known as 'Deimos'."

"Deimos, the Greek god of terror…"

"You know your mythology," Narumi praised. "Deimos was Mikan's main torturer while she was held captive." I clenched my fist tightly at the thought of someone torturing Mikan. "What else can you remember?"

"Mikan and _him_," I spat the word out, too furious to even say his name, "talked for a while before we started fighting the guards. I saw Mikan get grabbed from behind and went to help her, but someone stabbed me in the back."

"Is that all you remember?" I nodded and he sighed.

"What is it?" I questioned.

"We were hoping you could tell us something about what happened between Mikan and Deimos."

"Didn't you ask her what happened?"

"We did but…" He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "We feel like she's hiding something."

"What gives you that idea?"

"Well, when we asked her what happened she said that she couldn't remember much about what happened. Although that's possible, I feel like she's only acting and that she knows _exactly_ what happened."

"But why would she lie?"

"I'm just as clueless as you are. However, I'm concerned for her…"

"Why? What's wrong with her?" I asked, panicking slightly.

"When we found Deimos he was dead." I raised an eyebrow. The news of his death wasn't unexpected, especially considering it was Mikan who he'd fought.

"So?"

"It was different this time. Usually Mikan tries to give people a quick, clean death, but this time it was horrible. Deimos was almost unrecognisable when we found him. It was obvious that he'd been through extreme torture. I know it's not incredibly surprising considering the nature of their relationship but… I'm still worried for her. That kind of thing would affect anybody." I stared at him in shock. I thought that the old Mikan was starting to return but this… The old Mikan wouldn't have hurt a fly, the new Mikan only killed when necessary and even then she tried to make it as painless as possible, but this Mikan… Even if he'd tortured her, I didn't expect her to stoop to his level. Anyone would be affected by someone's death, especially if they were the cause. Mikan was acting happy, but what did she really feel?

"Mikan… I can see why you're worried but as much as I hate to admit it, there isn't much we can do about it. If she doesn't want to talk then she won't; she's stubborn like that." Narumi smiled bitterly.

"I suppose you're right, but there's something else that is bothering me. What else do you know about the Greek god Deimos?"

"Not much, really. Just that he was known as the 'personification of terror' and that he had a twin brother named Phobos… Wait, you don't think that Deimos had a partner, do you?" Narumi nodded, confirming my suspicions.

"Phobos: the god of horror, also known as the 'personification of fear' and Deimos' twin brother. If my suspicions are correct then Deimos' partner won't be happy that he's dead."

"You think he'll come after Mikan."

"Yes. And I get the feeling that Phobos will be a much more formidable opponent than his partner."

"Well, it's simple isn't it?" I declared earning a strange look from Narumi. "We'll just have to protect her." He laughed and shook his head.

"You make it sound so easy. Well, I suppose there's no use in fretting over it now." Our conversation was cut off by the opening of the door. I looked up and saw Mikan enter the room with a giant bag of food in her hands.

"You can stop crying now, I've returned!" She chimed before realising that there was another person in the room. "Oh, hey Narumi," she greeted and he quickly plastered on a smile.

"Hello, Mikan-chan!" He returned before turning back to me. "Well then, I better be going. Tood-a-loo my dear students!" He twirled out of the room leaving a trail of flowers behind him. We stared after him with disturbed expressions before sighing.

Narumi never changed.

* * *

**Sorry I'm so late with this chapter! . I've been really busy lately with school but I've got two weeks vacation from school so I should get a couple of chappies done :)**

**Thanks to every one who read, reviewed, favourited and followed! :D And to my awesome beta too!  
**

**Please leave a review! It'll make me update faster! (It's not a lie, I have a bunch of free time, I just need motivation)**


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